Mohammad Monir, a fish vendor from Khilgaon in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, was arranging a new batch of pabda fish (Ompok pabda) in his tray. Due to the high demand for the fish, his first batch had sold out quickly. Every evening, he manages to sell nearly 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of pabda.
“Pabda fish is delicious and costs comparatively less than other appetizing fish, at $2.5 (300 takas) to $4.18 (500 takas) per kilogram, depending on the quality and supply,” Monir said. “We have two more of outlets adjacent to this one. In total, we sell around 60 kg (132 lb) of pabda every day.”
Another vendor named Mohammad Shahin was selling the fish at $2.1 (250 takas) per kg. Several customers queued at his store as he was offering a cheaper rate. “I sell over 15 kg per day on average,” Shahin said.
Other vendors in the evening fish market shared similar experiences. Because pabda fish is abundantly produced in the country’s aquaculture industry, its prices remain relatively affordable in line with the rising demand.
Food prices have been soaring in Bangladesh, with food inflation exceeding 10% for some time now. It even reached 14.1% in July. As a result, any fish that remains affordable for the middle class sees high demand.
However, a recent study published in ScienceDirect has revealed high rates of antibiotic resistance in pabda fish. The study found particularly high resistance frequencies to antibiotics such as trimethoprim (95%), sulfafurazole (75%), ampicillin (60%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (55%) and cephradine (50%) in pabda fish.
The study also found that the overuse of antibiotics in Bangladesh’s aquaculture system is spreading antibiotic-resistant genes into the environment, which is posing significant health risks to consumers by exposing the food chain to multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.
Afrina Haque, a faculty member in Jahangirnagar University’s zoology department, who led the study, told Mongabay that their research confirms the unnecessary use of antibiotics by aquaculture farmers in Bangladesh. The team collected pabda fish samples from the aquaculture systems because of the fish’s high market demand.
