No approval given for artificial, indoor hilsa farming

The interim government has not approved any individual or organisation to farm hilsa using the recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) or any other artificial or indoor methods, the fisheries ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The ministry stressed that any research, experimental projects, or technological initiatives involving hilsa must follow existing laws and regulations, serve national interests, and obtain prior approval from the relevant government authorities.

Recently, reports about indoor or artificial-environment hilsa farming appeared in newspapers, online news platforms, and social media. In response, the ministry reviewed the matter carefully.

Hilsa is a vital GI (Geographical Indication) product of Bangladesh and is closely linked with the country’s rivers and coastal ecosystems, food security, cultural heritage, and the livelihoods of countless fishermen and communities who depend on fisheries, the ministry said.

Since hilsa production depends on natural breeding cycles and river-based ecosystems, any initiatives in this area are highly sensitive and require strict policy oversight, it added.

Habiganj Agro Limited, a sister concern of PRAN-RFL Group, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Denmark’s Assentoft Aqua to establish an indoor, fully controlled intensive fish farming facility in Bangladesh using RAS technology.

This technology treats and reuses water through filtration, allowing high-density fish production with minimal environmental impact.

Eleash Mridha, managing director of PRAN Group, told The Daily Star that the company’s formal agreement is only for the production of sea bass (koral fish). “We have not signed any contract for the commercial production of hilsa,” he said.

He added that while the company had shown initial interest in researching hilsa after visiting the Hilsa Fish Research Institute in Chandpur, any such work would need government approval.

“Our main project remains focused on sea bass and is progressing as planned,” he said.