The Fisheries Department has taken an initiative to release fish fry and spawn in the water bodies in Sylhet division. In a bid to increasing fish production in the region, it is being done under the programme named ‘Releasing Fish Fry in Open Water Bodies’, said the Sylhet divisional Deputy Director of the department Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan on Sunday. It would cost Tk 23.2 million including Tk 12.3 million for fries for 73 haors and water bodies while the rest Tk 10.9 million for spawn for the 153 beel and nurseries. The programme would help 251,027 fishermen in the four districts, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj. The district wise allocation includes, Sylhet Tk 5.1 million, Moulvivazar Tk 4.5 million, Habiganj Tk 4.2 million and Sunamganj Tk 9.4 million. “We have already released 2,012 kgs of spawn in the Lakhai upazila under Habiganj”, the official said, adding, fishermen have been asked not to catch fry for months. If they refrain from catching the fries for just for months, it would help raising the fish production during five to six months, the senior official said. However, a number of villagers at Ujanigaon of South Sunamganj upazila said government should ensure food help to the fishermen during the period. Locals in Radhanagar village under Derai upazila in Sunamganj said there are 150,000 fishermen in the district. Extremely-affected ones should be enlisted under the regular VGD programme so that they could get rice and cash money. Fish worth Tk 16 million were damaged in the region by the March-April’s early rains, coupled with flood waters from the upstream in the Indian state of Meghalaya. According to the damage report the calamity had badly hit the region, especially the Sunamganj district. In total 65,974 fishermen were badly affected as they had lost 119.75 tonnes of fishes in 19 upazilas of the four districts. Only the Sunnamganj district lost 49.75 tonne of fishes worth Tk 59,70,000 affecting 44,445 fishermen.