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Govt to make law to control import of infected fish

Sohel Parvez
The government is set to frame a law to control the import of infected fish, a move that is expected to protect the fisheries and aquatic biodiversity from alien disease.
However, analysts said the initiative comes after damage has already been done to the local fisheries for allowing the entry of live fish without quarantines.
The Department of Fisheries has drafted the law, Fish Quarantine Act 2014, to develop facilities at ports to test imported live fish, aquatic animals, fish products and beneficial micro-organisms before clearance.
The diseases in shrimps and tilapia fishes were blamed on the import of infected fishes, Syed Arif Azad, director general of the department, said, adding that the law should have been enacted earlier.
In the past, when live fishes were imported without quarantines, diseases
affected the local fisheries and fanners.
An example is the white spot virus in shrimps, reported to have come from Thailand in the mid nineties, which caused huge losses to fanners, officials at the fisheries department said.
"Except for formalin tests, we have no facility to quarantine imported fishes at present, but it can be developed after the law is framed," Azad said.
Fish imports remain open at a time when Bangladeshi exporters have to pass various tests at home and abroad.
Quarantine facilities already exist for imports and exports of vegetables, fruits and seeds, while such facilities are being developed for livestock imports.
The draft law also states that no fish can be imported without permission from the authorities. Importers will also require certificates relating to the matter. It also suggests the government form a quarantine committee and appoint fish quarantine officials.
The fisheries department will also mark any water body or pond as a controlled area if it finds that the water body is infected, according to the draft law.
Azad said the draft law that is now seeking feedback from stakeholders would be finalised soon and sent to the law ministry.
AKM Nowsad Alam, a professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University's department of fisheries technology, welcomed the initiative.
" It is a good step though a lot of damages have already been done in the absence of such a law."