All the field level officials and others concerned should perform their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty in taking modern pisciculture technologies to the grassroots level growers to boost fish production, said speakers at a meeting here on Friday. They said increased fish production could be a vital means of meeting the increasing protein demand and also could help in poverty alleviation and employment generation. The observations came in a discussion on fisheries promotion at Mohanpur Upazila Parishad auditorium in the district. The Department of Fisheries (DoF) organised the discussion on the occasion of distributing different materials among the Local Extension Agents for Fisheries (LEAFs). The LEAFs were given bicycles, uniform, measuring tapes, spring balances, rain coats, advice registers and pH paper so that they could perform their duties properly and successfully. Earlier, they were imparted a seven-day residential basic training on fish farming under the DoF’s ‘Union Level Fish Farming Technology Services Extension Project’. Upazila Fisheries Officer Dr Amimul Ehsan conducted the event. With Upazila Nirbahi Officer Alamgir Kabir in the chair, Upazila Chairman Prof Abdus Samad, Vice-chairmen Abul Kalam Azad and Banesha Begum and Officer-in-Charge of Mohanpur Police Station Masud Parvej spoke on the occasion. Dr Amimul Ehsan said the ultimate goal of the project was to expand the modern fish farming technology up to the union level for generating income for the rural communities and eradicating poverty by boosting fish yield in all ponds. He said the role of the LEAFs was very important for inspiring the farmers, providing them with latest scientific technologies and educating them to produce quality fish fry and fingerlings. Referring to the immense prospect of the fisheries sector, he said fish production could easily be increased to a great extent if the updated technologies were utilised properly. He also stressed the need for mitigating all the existing problems being faced by the fish farmers to attain the cherished goal of increasing fish production.