Rare fish found in Kaptai Lake

A rare fish known for its aesthetic beauty with a striped body has been found in Kaptai Lake of Rangamati.

The “suckermouth catfish”, the first ever of its kind spotted in the lake, was caught by local fishermen on Sunday.

“Suckermouth catfish” is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family, named for the armor-like longitudinal rows of scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body, according to Wikipedia.

On information, Naval Commander Md Assaduzzaman, a manager of Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation, collected the fish from the fishermen.

Naval Commander Md Assaduzzaman, a manager of Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation, holds the rare Suckermouth Catfish after collecting it from the fishermen who found the fish in Kaptai Lake of Rangamati. Photo: Courtesy

“Hearing the news of a rare fish caught in Kaptai Lake, I collected the fish and brought it to Rangamati,” Assaduzzaman said.

“It is exotic in our country, as it is not commonly found in our country. It is for the first time ever that such a big fish of this species has been found in Kaptai Lake,” he added.

Expressing optimism that the fish can be grown in the lake, Assaduzzaman said, “I think it can be grown in the lake assuming from its size”.

The fish, which is still alive, will be handed over to Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in Rangamati for testing the feasibility of growing the fish in Kaptai Lake.

A similar fish was spotted three years earlier in the lake, said Quazi Belal Hossain, a scientific officer of BFRI.

The fish lives in the bottom of water bodies and feeds on aquatic plants and they are very timid in nature, he said.