They said in Dhaka, in addition, discharge of untreated industrial effluents, rising sea and river beds due to siltation, over catching, indiscriminate killing and destruction of fish sanctuaries are contributing to the extinction of different species.
Around eight species of freshwater fishes have already become extinct in Bangladesh.
“Warm water is affecting the habitat and breeding places of fish. Besides, rampant discharge of untreated wastes is also destroying wetlands including living places of fishes,” said Prof Gulshan Ara Latifa of Stamford University in
Bangladesh.
Warm water denudes oxygen content of water, which deprives the fish of its vital need for the gas for surviving under water, she said, adding, “The reduction in the depth of water in rivers, coastal sea beds and wetlands due to heavy sedimentation are also causing a reduction in the size of the fish.”
The use of pesticides also needs to be properly managed to protect aquatic lives, she observed.
“Sometimes we are feeling too hot and also cold which is a bad sign for the humans and the animals, which is brought about as a major curse of this modern civilisation. The people are destroying living places including trees indiscriminately, pushing the eco-system into danger,” Latifa said.
