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Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute

department · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Dr. Anuradha Bhadra
Role
Director General
Annual budget
—
Staff
—
Established
1984
Legal basis
Fisheries Research Institute Ordinance, 1984 (Ordinance No. XLV of 1984), promulgated July 11, 1984; institute started functioning 1986 following manpower recruitment and facility creation; renamed Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute by Act No. 10 of 1996 (effective 1997)

BFRI is in active research and conservation mode under DG Dr. Anuradha Bhadra: the institute led scientific support for Jatka Conservation Week 2026 (April 7-13, Chandpur Sadar inauguration) through its Riverine Station at Chandpur; the Freshwater Sub-Station at Jashore received a ministerial visit in January 2026; the 'Strengthening of Hilsa Research' project continues at Chandpur with new sanctuary identification; the Live Gene Bank at Mymensingh HQ now covers 143 of 260 native fish species and 18+ endangered species have been restored; the Brackishwater Station at Paikgacha (Khulna) and Marine Fisheries and Technology Station at Cox's Bazar (est. 1991, 4 ha, 5 specialised laboratories) maintain active programs on shrimp broodstock, coastal seaweed, and Bay of Bengal marine resource assessment; BFRI's cumulative technology portfolio stands at over 82 verified fisheries technologies directly contributing to the fisheries sector's 3.61% share of national agricultural output.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

BFRI was established by Ordinance No. XLV of 1984 (promulgated July 11, 1984) and started functioning in 1986 after manpower recruitment and facility creation; the institute was formally renamed 'Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute' under Act No. 10 of 1996, effective 1997 (prior name was 'Fisheries Research Institute'). Headquarters: Mymensingh. Research infrastructure: 6 stations (Freshwater Station Mymensingh, Riverine Station Chandpur, Brackishwater Station Paikgacha/Khulna, Marine Fisheries and Technology Station Cox's Bazar est. 1991, Shrimp Research Centre Bagerhat, Hill Tracts Station/sub-station Rangamati) and 4 sub-stations (Jashore, Santahar/Bogura, Barishal, Saidpur). The Banglapedia entry and the BFRI-at-a-glance portal PDF are the two primary cross-checked sources for institutional facts; Wikipedia provides a consistent secondary cross-check. Current DG Dr. Anuradha Bhadra confirmed by BSS News report of January 17, 2026 (visit by Adviser Farida Akhter to Jashore sub-station) and by multiple 2024-2025 research event records; specific appointment date not found in public sources, set to null. Previous DG Yahia Mahmud confirmed by ResearchGate profile (listed as post-doctorate in fisheries, DG role); Wikipedia also references his tenure. head_since null: no publicly dated appointment order found. staff_count null: no sanctioned-post figure in publicly accessible sources; one sub-station example cited two senior scientific officers and three scientific officers, indicating small per-station complements. annual_budget_bdt null: BFRI budget is embedded in Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock envelope; no standalone BFRI budget line in FY 2025-26 sources. The 90-day activity window (Feb 16 to May 17, 2026) contains the Jatka Conservation Week 2026 (April 7-13) as a directly BFRI-linked event; the January 17, 2026 ministerial visit and conference statement fall at the edge of the window and are included as they are the most recent direct BFRI news confirmed by primary source URLs. The 3.61% fisheries sector share of agricultural output figure is from BFRI official portal content. verification_status 'verified': institutional facts (ordinance, renaming act, headquarters, mandate, stations) cross-checked across BFRI portal PDF, Banglapedia, and Wikipedia; DG identity cross-checked across BSS News and multiple BFRI event records; Jatka Conservation Week cross-checked across BSS News and TBS News.

Sources