ASA-IM Joins Bangladesh Save Our Fish Campaign
to Promote Use of Soy-based Feeds

April 10, 2007 - ASA-International Marketing Bangladesh has joined with Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation in a new campaign called “Save our Fish." The campaign goal is to create general public awareness of the importance of brood fish as the source of spawn for culture. Bangladesh is ranked third globally in fresh water aquaculture production (approx. 2 mmt per year) and has potential to expand through the introduction of appropriate technologies and education. However, the population of genetically pure brood stock is declining due to indiscriminate capture of mother fish during egg hatching season, according to Zahurul Haque, Technical Director, ASA-IM. "The Save our Fish campaign will help increase the number of brood fish, giving farmers a supply of better quality spawn," Haque explains.

ASA-IM has been active in increasing soybean use in Bangladesh aquaculture by sharing technical information from other world areas to help improve production practices. In a seminar recently held in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Haque presented a paper on "Soybean based aquafeeds: ASA-IM's experiences in China and India." The seminar was titled as "Aquaculture for poverty reduction" and several government high officials and fisheries experts participated.

Carp are the largest species group cultured in Bangladesh, which makes the work done in China and India very applicable to the aquaculture industry in Bangladesh. ASA-IM has demonstrated all plant protein grow-out diets with over 50 percent soybean meal inclusion for freshwater species such as carp, tilapia, and catfish for over a decade in China and for the last three years in India as part of the Soy-in-Aquaculture project. ASA-IM technical and program assistance is helping organizations accelerate spawn growth rate through innovative feeding techniques. As a result, use of soybean meal by the fish farmers and especially the shrimp sector has increased by 200 percent in Bangladesh since the program began.

The Save Our Fish campaign coordination committee is, from left, Mr. Zahurul Haque, Technical Director ASA-IM Bangladesh; Dr. Mahmudul Karim, Executive Director and Mr. Syed Mahmudul Haque, Chairman, both representing the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation; Prof. Mohammad Ali Taslim, Chairman, Bureau of Economic Research, Dhaka University; and Prof. Gulshan Ara, Zoology Department, Dhaka University.

Guests and speakers at the "Poverty reduction through aquaculture" seminar from left: Professor Hossain Jillur Rahman, Lead Consultant, PRSP Formulation Team, Government of Bangladesh, Professor Mohammad Ali Taslim, Chairman, Bureau of Economic Research, Dhaka University, Dr. Mahmudul Karim, Executive Director, Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation, Mr. Syed Ataur Rahman, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries & Livestock, GOB, Mr. Syed Mahmudul Haque, Chairman, Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation, Mr. Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Director General, Directorate of Fisheries, GOB and Mr. Zahurul Haque, Technical Director, ASA-IM Bangladesh.