Okara (HRNW) The University of Okara’s Department of Fisheries & Aquaculture arranged Fisheries Week with a range of activities for awareness about various species of endemic and exotic fishes. The Week started with an opening ceremony, presided over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Muhammad Wajid.
A seminar on “Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Youth in Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector in Pakistan” was held at the opening day.
Dr Imdad Ullah Salaar, Deputy Director of Training, Fisheries Development Board, Islamabad was the guest speaker. He shared various innovative startup ideas for fisheries sector.
The second day started with an Art Competition about the ‘Life Below Water’ which is a very important Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The students decorated different areas of campus and highlighted the fact of increasing pollution in the water system.
Third day was marked as Character Day. A Cooking Competition as held on the fourth day where the students cooked sea food based dishes. Pakistan’s per capita fish consumption is 2.5 kg annually and the main theme of the event was to aware the local community to enhance the fish consumption.
A seminar on “Oxidative Stress: An Emerging Challenge in Aquaculture” was organized on the fifth day. Dr Mahrooz Fatima, Assistant Professor in Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) was the Guest Speaker. She highlighted the importance of Fisheries sector during the Q&A session.
On the last day, a prize distribution ceremony for the students was arranged. Prof Wajid was the Chief Guest of the Event. He highlighted the decline in local fish diversity in Pakistan and told that the already established Fisheries Research Complex of the UO would carry out research on the biology of all those fish species which were to be brought to Pakistan from outside.
“A comprehensive policy should be made before the release of exotic or genetically modified fish species into the local environment. Our Fisheries Research Complex will consist of 23 ponds where various species of exotic and endemic fishes will be nurtured and I want our PhD students to conduct research on the biology of each of the fishes in order to assess their breeding potential, food habits and parasites. The fact is that the exotic fishes, released to local waters without research, can potentially damage the local breeds and diversity,” told Prof Wajid.
The VC, along with the faculty and students of the Life Sciences, also did extensive plantation around the Fisheries Research Complex. These plants included the ones that could enhance biodiversity of birds and provide necessary shade and food for the fishes.