Assessment of the ichthyofaunal diversity in the Juri River of Sylhet district, Bangladesh

This study was conducted to assess the present status of ichthyofaunal assemblages in the Juri River of Fenchuganj upazila in Sylhet district, Bangladesh. Survey works were made in three different locations of the river during May to December, 2018 comprising direct fish catch observations, questionnaire interviews, focus group discussions with fishers, fish traders, aratders (wholesalers) and river bank community members, and key informant interviews with upazila fisheries officer, district fisheries officer, non-governmental organization officials, and local leaders. The results revealed that a total of 75 species of fishes under 25 families were available. Among these species 11 were commonly available, 32 were moderately available, 25 were less available, and 7 were rarely available. Cyprinidae was the leading family consisting of 27% of the total fish population of the study area. However, 10 vulnerable, 8 endangered and 1 critically endangered fish species were also found in small amount. During this study the highest number of species (61) was found in the catches in October and lowest number of species (22) was recorded in July. According to the perceptions of fishers and resource person degradation of habitat, climate change, and human activities are the triggering agents for declining ichthyofaunal diversity in this river. Therefore, this study recommends application of proper management measures including community participation to conserve the ichthyofaunal diversity and enhance fish production in the Juri River

Socio-Economic Characteristics and Fishing Operation Activities of the Artisanal Fishers in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh

The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest (SMF) is a complex ecosystem containing the most diverse and abundant natural resources of Bangladesh. The research was designed to investigate the socio-economic characteristics and fishing operation activities of the artisanal fishers in the SMF through case studies. Despite the great importance of mangroves in the livelihood of the artisanal fishermen in the SMF, deforestation is perceived to continue due to illegal logging and deterioration of mangroves for climate change, increased salinity, natural disasters, shrimp farming and household consumption. The consequences are depleted fish and fishery resources, changes in fisher's primary occupation and livelihood status. The present study also elicited several risks and shocks of the fishermen livelihood like the attack by dacoits, hostage, ransom, and attack by tigers, natural disasters, river bank erosion. However, the artisanal fishermen adopted different strategies to cope with the changing conditions by forming associations, violating the fisheries laws and regulations, migrating, sharing responsibilities with the household members, and transmitting local ecological knowledge. This study concludes that there is an urgency to update the existing policies and management issues for the sustainable extraction of the SMF resources for the improvement of the artisanal fishermen livelihood.Peer reviewe

Investigation of the pangas (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) cultivation sustainability in cages at the Ratargul Freshwater Swamp Forest of Bangladesh

Determining the most appropriate stocking density for a specific fish species in an ambient condition is essential for successful cage aquaculture in terms of profitability which is mainly governed by growth. The current study was conducted to ascertain which stocking density gives the best result of widely cultured species in cage aquaculture, pangas (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), at swamp forest environment of Ratargul Freshwater Swamp Forest, Bangladesh in terms of growth, production and economic return. Fish were reared for 93 days at three stocking densities, namely 30, 40 and 50 fish/m3 which were denoted as FSD30, FSD40 and FSD50, respectively, containing three replications of each. Growth and yield comparisons indicated that the stocking density of fish had significant (p \u3c 0.05) effects on growth rate and productivity. Fish cultivated at the maximum density (FSD50) had lower mean weights than fish reared at lower densities. The significantly highest mean weights (376.58 ± 14.65 g) and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) (1.617 ± 0.035) obtained from FSD30 show the suitability of this density in terms of fish growth and profitability of pangas in swamp forest environment

Impacts of COVID-19 on Market Access and Pricing of Fisheries Value Chain in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh

The present study analyzes the market access of the biggest fish market at Chattogram coastal region of Bangladesh affected by COVID-19. The food chain was reduced locally, regionally, and globally as supply chains were disturbed and international seafood exports were halted for a certain period. For data collection several qualitative data collection tools, such as individual interviews as well as secondary document analysis were employed. To realize the overarching aim of this research the whole market system was analyzed including the supplier, wholesaler, retailer, as well as the consumer of the domestic market in the Chattogram district. The result shows that the pandemic slowed the supply and demand in the domestic fish market, and as a consequence the price of fish was distinctly reduced in the whole market system. The result highlights that the most affected stages of the supply chains are the supply quantity, the interval of the supply, and the quantity of fish sales. Furthermore, the principally affected stages of the demand chains are consumer demand and alternation in the preference of the consumer. To overcome such situation, this study recommends governmental financial support to trades to ensure the smooth flow of the supply and demand and create an alternative market system for the consumer. The pandemic and the measures to address the pandemic have created significant new challenges for market access and controlling pricing in domestic markets. Regularly engage of the policymakers are thus the prerequisite to overcome the compensation of trades and ensure food security in this sector

USE OF MORE THAN ONE FORM OF TOBACCO AMONG THOSE FROM A LOW SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND IN BANGLADESH

Tobacco has negative public health consequences. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with using more than one form of tobacco among people from a low socioeconomic background in Bangladesh in order to inform tobacco control and prevention programs for this population. Inclusion criteria for study subjects were current tobacco users, aged >= 15 years who were able and willing to participate. Study subjects were selected randomly from two industrial areas. An enumeration survey was conducted prior to actual data collection to identify the low income population by sex. Exclusion criteria for study subjects were age >65 years and being a temporary migrant. The number of subjects calculated to be needed for the study was 460. Each subject was asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire that asked about sociodemographic characteristics, use of tobacco and types and potential associated factors. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sociodemographic characteristics, a chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to determine associations between selected factors and tobacco use and logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with using more than one form of tobacco. A total 460 subjects were included in this study 50% were males. The mean age of study subjects was 43.3 years. The most common occupation was housewives followed by service. Of the 460 subjects, 23% used more than one form of tobacco: 97.1% of them male subjects and 2.9% of female subjects. Use of more than one form of tobacco was significantly (

Effect of Stocking Density on Growth Performance, Proximate Composition and Hematology of Anabas testudineus in Biofloc Culture System

In a biofloc fish culture system, this experiment assessed the effects of stocking densities of 200, 250, and 300 fish/m3 at treatments T1, T2, and T3, respectively, on the growth and production performances of Anabas testudineus. With a mean final weight of 121.64 ± 1.354 g, T1 produced the largest weight, followed by T2 (111.63 ± 0.552 g) and T3 (104.65 ± 0.602 g). In addition, the feed conversion ratio in T1 treatment (0.97 ± 0.011) was noticeably lower than T2 (1.36 ± 0.020) and T3 treatment (1.67 ± 0.116). Survival rate in T1 treatment (86.66%) was substantially greater than T2 (80.71%) and T3 treatments (74.81%). The comparative analysis of proximate composition has shown lower total microbial colony count, higher protein and fat content, and lower moisture and ash content in biofloc system. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) found in water quality parameter. Significant difference found (p < 0.05) in DO among three treatments. Comparing T1 (1.77 ± 0.017) to T2 (1.46 ± 0.005) and T3 (1.16 ± 0.047), BCR in T1 were higher. There was no significant differences found in HDL, LDL, Triglycerides and cortisol among three treatments but significantly found in control of A. testudineus. The higher level of HDL found in T1 and lower in control, LDL level lower in T1 and higher in control, triglycerides were lower in T1 and higher in control, cortisol higher in control and lower in T1. It might be concluded that the comparatively lower stocking density provides enhanced production and also be suitable in order to maintain better water quality parameters in biofloc culture system. This density is appropriate for the nation's biofloc culture of A. testudineus, as evidenced by the lowest production costs and maximum income seen in T1

Temporal distribution of shellfish assemblage in the Karnaphuli estuary, Bangladesh

1486-1492This study covers temporal distribution of shellfish species composition, abundance and water quality parameters in the Karnaphuli Estuary, Bangladesh. Samplings of shellfishes were done using estuarine set bag net along with sampling of water quality parameters in winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon from 2013 to 2014. All of the multivariate analyses were performed using PRIMER V6. A total of 18 species of fish belonging to 12 families were identified of which most dominant species was found Exopalaemon styliferus (31.19%) followed by Parapenaeopsis sculpptilis (13.53%), Charybdis natator (12.85%), Macrobrachium mirabile (12.76%), as the major dominant species. Analysis of similarity showed significant differences among seasons. Cluster analysis formed three groups and appearances, 53% similarity while post-monsoon displayed separate. The canonical correspondence analysis indicates temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen as the three most important environmental parameters shaping the species diversity structure

Use of Pleurotus sajor-caju in upgrading green jute plants and jute sticks as ruminant feed

In this study, superfluous jute plants and jute stick were converted into upgraded animal feed by solid state fermentation (SSF) using a cellulolytic fungus, Pleurotus sajor-caju. Prior to fermentation, substrates were subjected to several pretreatments such as soaking with water overnight and alkali or lime pretreatment. SSF was carried out with 20 g of substrate in 100 ml conical flask and was incubated at 30C for 8 weeks. In all treatments, the highest amount of reducing sugar, soluble protein as well as the cellulolytic activities of three enzymes viz. cellobiase, carboxymethyl cellulase and avicelase were obtained at 6th week of fermentation. Compared to raw, unsoaked substrates, soaking treatment alone could produce 10% more soluble protein in both substrates whereas reducing sugar increment was 5% and 6% in jute sticks and jute plants, respectively. From all treatments, combination of soaking and lime treatment in green jute plants yielded higher value than jute sticks in terms of reducing sugar, soluble protein and enzymatic activity. The radiation doses at 20, 30 and 40 kGy appeared to have no effect on sugar and protein accretion. During eight weeks of fermentation, relatively higher cellobiase activity was found compared to that of carboxymethyl cellulase and avicelase. The present investigation indicates that fungal conversion with pretreatment can turn these lignocellulosic agro-wastes to a nutritionally enriched animal feed by increasing the crude protein and reducing sugar content. However, further research is necessary to develop strategies for industrial scale production to overcome the crisis of nutritionally improved animal feed

Assemblage structure of nektonic fauna in the Meghna estuary of Bangladesh: relationship with environmental variables

1401-1409In this study, the assemblage structure of nektonic fauna were studied in relation to some important environmental variables in the Meghna Estuary, the largest estuarine ecosystem of Bangladesh. Silica, nitrite, phosphate, and total suspended solids (TSS) were found to be positively correlated with fish species abundance. Nitrite and TSS showed significant difference, and water pH, salinity, transparency, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen were found to be negatively correlated. The results of similarity analysis showed a significant difference between different sampling stations and seasons, and revealed that finfish species like Trypauchen vagina, Polynemus paradiseus, Johnius dussumieri, Harpodon nehereus contributed significantly (>10.0%) to the fish abundance structure of each sampling station. Cluster analysis shows 53% similarity level in the abundance of fish in different seasons and sampling stations. Significant effect of water transparency and salinity was observed through Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) in shaping assemblage structure and species distribution