It’s fry netting season as mother fishes lay eggs the Halda

Halda is the last remaining river in Bangladesh where carps still breed naturally. Fishermen netting carp fries.

Chattogram, May 31 – Mother fish of different species have released eggs at several places in the Halda River, the only natural fish spawning centre in country. 

Around 2am on Thursday night, the first batch of eggs was released at Amtua Point, which soon spread in different parts of the river, kicking off the seasonal egg collection. 

As the news spread, hundreds of fishermen from riverbank communities rushed out with boats and nets at night, turning the riverside into a scene of festivity despite inclement weather. 

Locals said that amid heavy rain and inclement weather, the egg collection continued in full swing from early hours of Friday till noon. 

The spawning began at Amtua with mother fish of the carp specie and the eggs then dispersed downstream. 

Dr. Shafiqul Islam, a researcher on the Halda River, said that each egg collector has, on average, received three to four buckets of eggs. 

“Collectors are highly enthusiastic,” he said, adding that it will take some time to estimate the total volume of eggs delivered to hatcheries. 

The Halda River’s unique natural ecosystem allows carp species to breed only under specific conditions—typically between April and June, on nights of the full or new moon, during heavy rain and mountain runoff. 

These fertilized eggs are later taken to hatcheries for preservation and the production of juvenile fish, he said. 

Due to the combination of a full moon and torrential rainfall and upstream water flow created the perfect conditions for egg-laying. - UNB