Endangered Bagha Ayer sale goes on despite ban

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The endangered Bagha Ayer, or goonch, is frequently being sold in Sylhet city although there is a ban on catching and selling the fish. 

Even though the sale goes on in public, there is no initiative on part of the authorities concerned to thwart the sellers by implementing the ban.

A Bagha Ayer weighing 100kg was seen being sold at Lalbazar fish market in Sylhet city on Wednesday.

Another Bagha Ayer weighing 160kg was sold in the same market on 15 March. The seller sliced the fish and sold them at Tk2000 a kg.

Environmental activists say that if the sale of the fish continues like this, it will be extinct soon.

Traders at the market said big Bagha Ayer fish are often caught in Sylhet's Surma and Kushiara rivers. They are sold in the Lalbazar of Sylhet. Earlier in 2021 and 2022, fishers caught at least four Bagha Ayer fishes from the Jokiganj and Fenchuganj areas of the Kushiara River and then sold those in Lalbazar.

But buying and selling and transporting these endangered species of fish is legally prohibited and a punishable crime under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Safety) Act 2012. A maximum of one-year imprisonment or a fine of Tk50,000 or both can be punished for this crime. However, the law is being ignored.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has put the Bagha Ayer on the red list as "Critically Endangered". Its scientific name is Bagarius yarrelli.

Anwar Hossain, the seller of Bagha Ayer fish in Lalbazar, said he does not know anything about this law. This fish is often sold in Lalbazar. No one informed him that selling Bagha Air is a crime.

Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), Sylhet said, "If we continue to catch and sell like this, this endangered fish will soon become extinct.

But first of all, a widespread campaign is needed to increase public awareness, he added. 

Forest officials also echoed the same regarding the need for an awareness campaign to stop catching and selling Bagha Ayer.

Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department, Moulvibazar, said, "We have recently distributed posters and leaflets in Moulvibazar regarding the conservation of critically endangered species of fish, including Bagha Ayer.

"Soon an awareness campaign will be conducted in Sylhet in this regard. However, we will take legal action if Bagha Ayer or any such prohibited fish is sold."