DHAKA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has banned the suckermouth catfish species, which has become a cause for grave concern among fish farmers in the country.
Bangladesh's Fisheries and Livestock Ministry has issued a gazette notification banning suckermouth catfish, considered a big threat to native fish species, a handout said here Wednesday.
In line with the directives of the Bangladeshi president, Deputy Secretary of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Mrinal Kanti Dey issued the notification on Jan. 11, banning the catfish, also known as pleco in some countries.
As per the notification, now nobody will be allowed to import, culture, transport, sell, supply or conserve the suckermouth catfish.
On Sept. 25, 2022, the ministry issued a notification as a proposal to amend Section 18 of the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950, aiming to ban the sucker fish.
Bangladesh in 2008 prohibited farming, hatchling production, breeding, marketing and trading of African piranha in Bangladesh.
A ban was also imposed on the import, production and marketing of African catfish to protect local fish in 2014.
The suckermouth catfish was banned for similar reasons, Md Khaled Kanak, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries, had earlier said. ■