Workshop on WorldFish Carp genetic improvement held in Dhaka

Funded by USAID under Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture and Nutrition project and coordinated by WorldFish, a workshop on "WorldFish Carp Genetic Improvement Program" was organised at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka recently, said a press release.

The workshop started with the opening remarks of the regional director of WorldFish South Asia region, Christopher Price.

In the workshop, the director general of the Department of Fisheries, Kh. Mahbubul Haque was present as the chief guest.

Representatives from donor agencies, development partners and private and public stakeholders related to carp production and research attended the workshop.

Kh. Mahbubul Haque officially received the rapidly-growing WorldFish Generation Three (G3) Rohu on behalf of the department of fisheries.

Under the Carp Genetic Improvement Program (CGIP), WorldFish collected Rohu and Catla spawns from three rivers of the country, namely Padma, Jamuna, and Halda in 2012.

The G3 Rohu strain were grown in 19 farms for an on-farm trial in 2021-2022. The trial resulted in G3 Rohu weighing 37 per cent more than the conventional strains.

Dissemination manager of WorldFish, Mohammad Yeasin, said at the workshop, “The adoption of the brood of G3 Rohu by the Department of Fisheries will accelerate the spread of this improved breed of Rohu all over the country.”

In the closing speech of the program, the director general of WorldFish, Essam Muhammad, expressed hope about the G3 Rohu and other carp genetic fishes.

He also said that the carp genetic development will boost the development of fisheries and food security to achieve the goals set by the government for sustainable development.