Hossen Sohel: Research findings on Hilsa fish (Tenualosa ilisha) from the Department of Fisheries Biology & Genetics of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) revealed the full-scale lifespan of the national fish.
The findings are said to be first of its kind for Hilsa.
“A Hilsa genome has 76,80,000 nucleotides which is one-fourth to a human, in terms of quantity,” Department of Fisheries Biology & Genetics Prof Dr Md Shamsul Alam said while disclosing the findings at a press briefing yesterday.
A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism.
The researchers at BAU headed by Prof Dr Md Shamsul Alam started the research on Hilsa in December 2015.
He coordinated the Hilsa Genome & Assembly Team.
Now, how the local Hilsa are different from that of other countries i.e. India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Middle East genetically, will be discovered, added Prof Alam.
“Bangladesh’s fisheries sector and BAU have entered the age of genome research through this one,” demanded the researchers.
According to WorldFish, 65 per cent of the world’s total production of hilsa is in Bangladesh while India produces 15 per cent, Myanmar 10 per cent, and the countries around Arab Sea and Pacific and Atlantic oceans produce the rest.
Hilsa was earlier registered as the geographical indication (GI) product of Bangladesh.