Fisheries and Livestock Affairs Adviser Farida Akhter has said that rising global temperatures have become a major concern for fish farmers around the world. She made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the International Fisheries Conference and Expo 2025, held today at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium of Rajshahi University and organized by the university’s Faculty of Fisheries.
The adviser said she recently attended an international climate conference in Brazil, where she witnessed global anxiety among fish farmers regarding the consequences of rising temperatures. According to her, many expressed fears that if current trends persist, natural fish breeding and reproduction may decline significantly in the future.
Farida Akhter noted that fish farmers in Bangladesh have demonstrated remarkable success in aquaculture, enabling people to purchase fish at affordable prices. She thanked the farmers for their contributions to the sector. Describing fish as an inseparable part of the Bengali diet, she said that meals in the country are often considered incomplete without fish. For this reason, she stressed the need to place even greater emphasis on fish farming.
She further stated that Bangladesh was once heavily reliant on rivers, canals and wetlands for its fish supply. However, over time, fish cultivation has expanded from natural water bodies to household-level aquaculture. To strengthen the sector, she urged concerned government fisheries officials to extend greater support to fish farmers across the country.
Special guests at the event included Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Dr. A. N. M. Bazlur Rashid and Director General of the Department of Fisheries Dr. Md. Abdur Rauf. The chief patron of the conference was Rajshahi University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Saleh Hassan Naqib. Also present were Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr. Mohammad Main Uddin and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Dr. Md. Farid Uddin Khan.
Honored guests included Managing Director and CEO of Nabil Group of Industries, Agriculturist Md. Aminul Islam, and Vice President of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association, S. K. Kamrul Alam. The session was presided over by Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Chair of the Summit Organizing Committee, Professor Dr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman Mondal. The program began with a welcome speech by Dr. Akshay Kumar Sarkar, member secretary of the Summit Organizing Committee.
