Director General Fisheries Punjab, Dr Muhammad Ayub has said that aquatic pollution has adversely effected fish production in natural water bodies of the province and this shortage can be made up only through fish farming.
Presiding over a departmental meeting, he said that due to aquatic pollution, most of fish species once very common, are now at the verge of extinction. Dr Ayub said that disposal of untreated toxic effluents of industrial units into river and canals directly is also hampering the fish production.
He further said that Fisheries Department is endeavouring to protect the endangered species and a number of projects have been initiated to save fish varieties from extinction. Dr Ayub further said that department has already achieved a major breakthrough in artificial breading of an endangered fish "Mahaseer" and therefore, has taken lead over other south Asian countries in this regard.