Kaptai Lake reopens to fishing Aug 10

RANGAMATI, July 31: Fishing in Kaptai Lake will resume from midnight on August 10 following the end of a three-and-a-half-month ban imposed to facilitate the breeding of carp and other fish species.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Kaptai Lake Management Committee held at the Deputy Commissioner (DC)'s office recently.

According to the district administration, fishing in the lake has remained suspended since April 25 to ensure the natural breeding, reproduction and conservation of carp species during the peak spawning season.

As the breeding period has been successfully completed, the committee decided to withdraw the restriction from midnight on August 10.

DC and Kaptai Lake Management Committee Secretary Nazma Ashrafi said the decision was made after consultations with officials of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC), representatives of fish traders' associations and members of the fishing community.

She said fish harvesting would officially resume from midnight on August 10, while the transportation and marketing of fish from the lake would begin from 6:00am on August 11.

The meeting was attended by Additional District Magistrate Nishat Sharmin, Additional Superintendent of Police Md Iqbal Hossain, BFDC Rangamati Manager Commander Fayez Al Karim, District Fisheries Officer Md Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Chief Scientific Officer Haidar Hossain, and representatives of local fish traders' associations, among others.