Carp brood fish have released sample eggs in the Halda River, one of South Asia’s most significant natural fish breeding grounds.
Egg collectors said sample eggs were found at several points of the river since Thursday morning. Sources also said scattered eggs had started appearing from Wednesday night.
The development has created excitement among local egg collectors. Hundreds of collectors have gathered along riverbanks and ghats with nets, buckets and other equipment, waiting for the full spawning of the brood fish.
Halda researcher Dr. Md. Shafiqul Islam said the full moon tidal cycle for carp spawning in the Halda began on April 29 and will continue until May 3. Heavy rainfall and hill streams during this period created favorable conditions for spawning.
He said one or two eggs were found at several places on Wednesday night. Around 11 am on Thursday, brood fish released sample eggs near the Azimerghat area during high tide.
However, large-scale spawning has not started yet. If rainfall continues at night, massive spawning is likely.
Meanwhile, extensive preparations have been completed at Madunaghat, Shah Madari and Machuaghona hatcheries in the Hathazari section of the river. More than one hundred incubation pits have been made ready, along with additional earthen pits at Gorduara and Bariyaghona.
Senior Fisheries Officer Mohammad Showkat Ali said all arrangements for producing fry from collected eggs have been completed and government officials have been assigned to supervise the process.
He said timely rainfall, hill runoff and upstream water flow created excellent conditions this season. Authorities hope the brood fish will release eggs in full scale by night.
Last season, brood fish spawned in Halda on May 29, and a total of 14,664 kilograms of eggs were collected. Officials are hopeful that this year’s collection may exceed last year’s record due to favorable conditions.