The study was conducted to assess the spatio-temporal fluctuations of water quality parameters, Chlorophyll a contents and benthic macroinvertebrates in the Tengragiri mangrove estuary, Barguna coastal region. Water samples were collected from five sampling stations to analyze the temperature, transparency, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, total hardness, total alkalinity, ammonium, sulphate, phosphate, nitrate, and Chlorophyll-a. Water quality parameters were analyzed in the laboratory of the Department of Environmental Science and Resource Management of the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) following the respective standard procedures. The results indicated that the temperature varied from 21.58 to 31.02° C, transparency 5.58 to 30.48 cm, EC 46.20 to 310.40 , TDS 204.33 to 1977 mg/L, pH 5.45 to 6.51, DO 7.27 to 7.70 mg/L, BOD 1.20 to 2.50 mg/L, total hardness 126 to 215.33 mg/L, and total alkalinity 93.77 to 166.18 mg/L. The nutrients were found ammonium 0.56 to 1.74 mg/L, sulphate 27.84 to 51.72 mg/L, phosphate 0.60 to 1.97 mg/L, nitrate 2.44 to 7.69 mg/L, and Chlorophyll a 0.42 to 1.45 μg/L. The study indicated that TH, TA, phosphate, nitrate and ammonium exceeded the recommended level for aquatic environment. On the other hand, temperature, TDS, BOD, EC, sulphate, and Chlorophyll a were within the standard level for aquatic environment. Fourteen species of macro benthos were identified over the two sampling seasons. The peak benthos abundance (8 to 12) occurred during the wet season, attributed to superior water quality. Simpson’s biodiversity index revealed that the benthic diversity status was high (0.916). The results demonstrated that the Tengragiri mangrove estuarine ecosystem was in a healthy state, which may be maintained via consistent monitoring and management. J Bangladesh Agril Univ 23(3): 442–454, 2025

Climate change can severely impact fishermen’s community due to the nature of their profession. This study investigates the impacts of climate change on sea-going fishers in Paikgachha Upazila, Khulna, Bangladesh. A total of 60 randomly selected fishers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions to assess climate-induced changes in their livelihoods. Field data reveal that 100% of the respondents experienced reduced fishing duration due to frequent storms, erratic sea behaviour, and early seasonal changes. Around 40% of fishers have shifted to alternative professions, and approximately 40% of local residents have migrated over the past 20 years due to climate-related livelihood disruption. In 2022, 90% of fishers lost their prawn farms owing to saline water intrusion and elevated water temperatures. Climatic trend analysis using Bangladesh Meteorological Department data confirms an increasing pattern in mean temperature per year (+0.014℃) and rainfall (+7.22 mmyr-1) in coastal regions over the past three decades. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted adaptation strategies, safety protocols, and livelihood diversification to support the resilience of this vulnerable population.

St. Martin’s Island (SMI) was designated an Ecologically Critical Area by the Bangladesh government in 1999 to preserve its biodiversity. Heavy metals (HMs) pollution is a critical environmental problem, driven primarily by anthropogenic activities, that causes various environmental impacts, including the contamination of marine resources. This study aimed to investigate the presence of HMs in marine sediments and evaluate the potential risks they pose to the marine environment and human health (adults and children). Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used to assess the HMs in composite sediment samples collected from 12 sampling sites along the west coast of SMI. The average (±SD) HM concentrations (mg/kg) found, in descending order, were Mn (317.58±48.1) > Fe (168.42±35.46) > Zn (31.17±6.34) > Ni (24.17±6.41) > Cr (12.17±3.18) > Pb (6.52±1.03) > Cu (5.16±0.94). All detected HMs concentrations were below the allowable levels and considerably lower than those reported in other studies. The Risk Index (RI) results suggest that the marine ecosystem along the west coast of SMI did not surpass the low-moderate risk line (ranging from 0.23 to 6.18 with a mean of 4.68). Furthermore, the sediment quality indices used, including the contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, and pollution load index, indicated that metal contamination levels were within acceptable limits and did not adversely affect sediment quality. Human health risk assessment demonstrated that for each age group of the SMI population, the non-carcinogenic Hazard Index (HI) was significantly below the threshold limit (HI < 1), indicating low risk. In addition, the total carcinogenic risk was below the risk threshold range (10-4 to 10-6). Safeguarding the health of the SMI population and the integrity of the marine ecosystem will require HM monitoring and the execution of strict regulations to reduce HM pollution.

Mango kernel meal (MKM) is an affordable and widely available industrial byproduct, commonly used as an aquaculture feed supplement due to its immuno-physiological properties. This study represents a novel effort to evaluate the dietary effect of MKM on growth, feed utilization, haemato-biochemical attributes, and expression of growth and immune genes in Gibelion catla. G. catla were subjected to four treatments in triplicate (n = 40 fish/replicate), and fed diets supplemented with 0 (control group), 5, 10, 20 g/Kg (T1-T3, respectively) of MKM over a 90-days trial. The results revealed a significant enhancement in the growth indices and reduced feed conversion ratio in the T1 group than control and other treatment groups. Fish fed 5 g/kg MKM had significantly (P < 0.05) higher RBC, Hb, and Hct than the control and other tested diets. Inclusion of MKM at 5 g/kg in the diet significantly reduced haemato-biochemical stress biomarkers (glucose, and cortisol) as well as hepatic transaminase levels. Frequencies of erythrocytes cellular abnormalities (ECA) and erythrocytes nuclear abnormalities (ENA) were higher at 20 g/Kg of MKM inclusion. The relative mRNA expression profile of examined growth and immune-related genes were upregulated at 5 g/kg of the MKM supplementation diet than the control group. The principal component analysis results demonstrated that supplementation with 5 g/kg of MKM significantly improved nutritional and haemato-biochemical parameters. These findings suggest that the inclusion of 5 g/kg of MKM in the basal diet as a dietary supplement for G catla exerts a positive influence on growth performance, and immune-physiological status, highlighting its potential as a beneficial feed additive.

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health concern caused by poor blood sugar regulation. Despite oral hypoglycemic medications, diabetes and its complications remain clinically serious. Using animal models and in silico research, the antidiabetic potential of Ficus racemosa (F. racemosa) has been assessed in this study.Materials and methodsThe methanol extract of F. racemosa fruits was prepared using suitable methods. After injecting Alloxan (150 mg/kg) into Swiss Albino mice to cause diabetes, both diabetic and non-diabetic animals underwent OGTT and acute toxicity testing. The antihyperglycemic action was assessed by administering oral doses of 300 and 500 mg/kg of the methanol extract of F. racemosa fruit, as well as 5 mg/kg of glibenclamide. Subsequently, in silico techniques such as ADMET profiling, molecular docking, and simulations were employed.ResultsThe findings from this study suggest that mice have tolerated doses under 3000 mg/kg without death or side effects. In mice model, both doses of F. racemosa extracts effectively reduced blood glucose (BGL) after 7 days of oral administration. Molecular docking and simulations demonstrated that the SIRT1 receptor had a greater affinity for friedelin, lupeol acetate, gluanol, and ferulic acid. The molecular dynamics demonstrated that all the compounds are stable to the receptors, as revealed by RMSD, RMSF, Rg and SASA parameters.ConclusionThis study found that F. racemosa fruit extract significantly reduced hyperglycemia. Furthermore, four compounds may significantly contribute to the treatment of diabetes by reducing blood glucose levels. Thus, the findings of the current study may strengthen future research in the identification of antidiabetic compounds.

Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) is crucial to Bangladesh’s economy and ecology, but recent trends show early maturation in small-sized hilsa, with unclear causes. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the ovaries of large and small hilsa using RNA-sequencing. Samples from both sizes were collected from the Meghna River in Chandpur District, and four ovary libraries were sequenced via the Illumina platform. A total of 908 DEGs were detected, of which 453 were up-regulated and 455 were down-regulated. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant differences in Gene Ontology terms such as extracellular region (GO:0005576), innate immune response (GO:0045087), and protein ubiquitination (GO:0016567), peptide antigen binding (GO:0042605), KEGG pathways including MAPK signaling pathway (ko04010), endocytosis (ko04144), and spliceosome (ko03040), as well as COG terms like signal transduction, between the ovary of large and small hilsa shad. These findings suggest that differentially expressed genes may play a role in regulating the ovarian development of T. ilisha. However, the entire process, from sampling to final annotation, is described here, along with the workflow. This study will offer a valuable resource for current and upcoming Hilsa transcriptome-based expression profiling studies.

The use of pesticides for crop production leads to environmental contamination, adversely affecting water and sediment quality, as well as the health of the entire aquatic ecosystem; all of these pose serious public health concerns. Sungai Besar, Sekinchan, a key rice-producing area in Malaysia, has a notable agricultural history. Despite the widespread use of different pesticides, data on organochlorine residues in fish, water, and sediment are lacking. This study aimed to assess the abundance of organochlorine pesticides and/or residues in water, sediment, and fish samples collected from five locations across the paddy fields of Sungai Besar, Sekinchan. The study revealed the detection of five organochlorine pesticides in fish, including lindane, heptachlor, endosulfan, aldrin, and dieldrin. Of the five pesticides, the occurrence of lindane and dieldrin levels (0.018 ± 0.005 to 0.037 ± 0.003 and 0.247 ± 0.01 to 0.380 ± 0.008µg/g) in snakehead (Channa striatus) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) exceeded maximum residue limits (MRLs), implying health risks for the consumers. Water samples were also found to exceed the MRL concentrations for lindane (0.10 ± 0.004 to 0.473 ± 0.01μg/L), endosulfan (0.13 ± 0.01 to 0.454 ± 0.01μg/L), aldrin (0.05 ± 0.001 to 0.314 ± 0.01μg/L), dieldrin (0.06 ± 0.003 to 0.281 ± 0.001μg/L), heptachlor (0.12 ± 0.005 to 0.36 ± 0.0002μg/L), endrin (0.05 ± 0.01 to 0.323 ± 0.01μg/L), methoxychlor (0.04 ± 0.008 to 1.12 ± 0.004μg/L), and cypermethrin (0.03 ± 0.002 to 0.524 ± 0.005μg/L), posing significant ecological risks (RQ ≥ 1). Sediment samples were witnessed to contaminate with methoxychlor (0.287 ± 0.01μg/g) and cypermethrin (0.077 ± 0.001μg/g). The findings of this study indicate moderate to severe concerns for the aquatic ecosystems and also greater health concerns for the local consumers relying upon fishing from the study area due to potential exposure to long-term risks.

Khaliajury haor (bowl or saucer shaped shallow depression) is one of the environmentally challenged wetland ecosystems in Northeast Bangladesh due to climate change and anthropogenic factors. The current research work is designed to study the abundance and diversity indices and the threats responsible for declining fish abundance from the haor region. Monthly sampling of water quality parameters and fish species was performed from July 2020 to June 2021. Fishermen's perception was assessed to determine the declining factors of fish abundance from the haor. A total of 59 fish and 3 prawn species were recorded belonging to 9 orders and 20 families. Cypriniformes was the most abundant group, accounting for 26.34% of the overall catch. Fish catch showed monthly variation with January (24.88%) and May (1.56%) recording the highest and lowest catch, respectively. Among the fish species, Puntius sophore (8.36%) was the most abundant species while the least contribution was noted for Bagarius bagarius (0.07%). Planktivore (32.09%) also showed the highest dominance among the trophic groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed DO as the most influencing parameter for 10 dominant species (Relative abundance > 2.5%). Furthermore, correlation analysis signifies the importance of water temperature, DO, pH, TDS, alkalinity, nitrate, and phosphate in structuring the total abundance of fish species in the Khaliajury haor. The present study identified the dewatering during dry months, overexploitation, destructive fishing practices, structures impeding fish migration, and siltation as the key factors for declining fish abundance in the Khaliajury haor. Enhancing and sustaining fish abundance and diversity in Khaliajury haor are suggested to significantly help through an ecosystem-based management strategy via sanctuary development and proper execution of acts and regulations.