Funded by USAID under Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture and Nutrition project and coordinated by WorldFish, a workshop on the ‘WorldFish Carp Genetic Improvement Program’ was organized at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka. 

The workshop started with the opening remarks of the Regional Director of WorldFish South Asia Region, Christopher Price, on 9 May, reads a press release.

In the workshop, the Director General of Bangladesh Fisheries, KH Mahbubul Haque, was present as the chief guest. The initiative also drew well-known figures and private and public stakeholders related to carp production and research. 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 juvenile Rohu, Catla, and Silver Carp fishes and spawns from three rivers of the country, namely Padma, Jamuna, and Halda in 2012.

The G3 Rohu strains were grown in 19 hatcheries for an on-farm trial in 2022. The trial resulted in G3 Rohu weighing 37% more than the conventional varieties.

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