Pinky Akhter, Rangamati

From September 1 to February 5 of the current season, 6,641 metric tons of fish were caught from Kaptai Lake. During this period, customs revenue of 13 crore 66 lakh 60 thousand taka has been collected from the four fish landing centers in the district.

However, about 95 percent of the fish brought to the landing ghats are chapila, kachki, aiyr and kajli.

These fish are brought to the four fish landing ghats of Rangamati Sadar, Kaptai, Marishya and Mahalchhari. After being measured and customs cleared there, these fish are sent to various regions of the country including Dhaka, Chittagong.

Fishing in Kaptai Lake has resumed from midnight on September 1 after a ban from April 25 to midnight on August 31 during the breeding season.

Last season, more than 7,500 tonnes of fish were collected from four fish landing ghats. This resulted in a revenue of more than Tk 15 crore 56 lakh. This time, the Rangamati office of the Fisheries Development Corporation has set a target of collecting Tk 16 crore as customs revenue from 8 thousand tonnes of fish.

Commander Md. Ashraful Alam Bhuiyan, Manager of the Lake Fisheries Development and Marketing Center of the Rangamati region of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC), said, "There is still a lot of water in the lake this season. Now, more fish such as Kachki, Chapila, Kajali, and Aiyr being caught. In the winter season, large fish stay in the deep water, especially (December, January, February). Carp fish are less available during these months. When the water level decreases a bit, large fish such as carp can also be found."

He said, dredging Kaptai Lake is very important. The existence of the lake is under threat as the bottom is filled with silt. Kaptai Lake is the only communication point for the five upazilas of the district. If Kaptai Lake is dredged, the navigability of the lake will be restored, fish production will increase further, and the crisis of navigation will be resolved.At the same time, the suffering of people dependent on Kaptai Lake for their livelihood in this district will be greatly reduced.

Kaptai Lake is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in Southeast Asia. The area of this lake is about 7.25 square kilometers. It is one of the sources of freshwater fish in the country. There are about 70-80 species of fish here, including Kachki, Chapila, Kajali, Air, Rui, Katal.

The demand for the delicious fish of Kaptai Lake is high in the plain districts.