'Sergeant Major Fish' caught in fishing nets in Bay of Bengal

Sergeant Major Figh caught in the Bay of Bengal

Patuakhali: An interesting marine species, Sergeant Major Fish, has been caught in fishing nets in the Bay of Bengal adjacent to Kuakata in Patuakhali. Due to its colorful color and unique structure, the fish has been brought to the Alipur Fisheries Port and stored in ice. After the fish was brought to the port on Monday (August 3), a crowd of people gathered to take a look. In Bangladesh, it is known as Pathari Fish, Black Stripe Soldier Fish or Reha Fish depending on the region.

It is known that the fish was caught in the deep sea three-four days ago in the net of the Mayer Doa trawler. Later, it was brought to Messrs. Sifat Fish of Alipur Port.

The trawler's fisherman Idris said that the fish was caught in the net in the deep sea. Since it looks very beautiful, we brought it to the shore without throwing it away. This is the first time such a fish has been caught in my net.

Mainul Islam Shamim, manager of Messrs. Sifat Fish, said, the fish looks very beautiful. That is why it has been preserved in ice. I have never seen such a fish before.

Md. Bakhtiar Rahman, research assistant of the ‘Healthy Sea’ project implemented in collaboration with WCS and WorldFish, funded by the Blue Action Fund, said, Sergeant Major fish (Abudefduf spp) is a marine fish of the Pomacentridae family. In Bangladesh, it is known as stonefish, black-striped soldier fish or reha fish depending on the region. The body of the fish is flat and oval, has a light yellowish tint on the back and 4-5 dark vertical stripes on both sides of the body, which helps in identifying this fish easily.

Tini further said that this fish mainly lives in the coastal rocky areas of the Bay of Bengal, coral reefs, especially in the shallow marine environment around St. Martin's Island. It is omnivorous and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of the marine food web by eating algae, zooplankton and various small invertebrates.

Although its commercial importance is relatively low, it is used as food locally in coastal areas. In addition, it is a popular ornamental fish in the marine aquarium business worldwide due to its bright colors and attractive striped pattern.

Kalapara Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said that such marine fish are rarely caught even in our coastal waters. Such exceptional species of fish occasionally come up in the nets of fishermen. Such incidents are important for preserving information on these fish and researching biodiversity. - Gofran Palash