Photo by Bogdan Janiczak From: Mark Macdonald (Mark in Vancouver)
([email protected])
Date: March 26th, 2004 Botia dario is found wild in the rolling mountain streams of Bangladesh. This country is situated just south of the Himalayas, and is criss-crossed with streams that feed three main rivers. These streams irrigate crops grown on the hillsides before draining into the Bay of Bengal, and the primary crops are rice and jute. Pesticides used in the cultivation of rice have contaminated many streams and waterways in Bangladesh, and threaten Botia dario. Since 1997, the Bengal government has enforced strict penalties against polluters, with specific rules about the pollution of streams and waterways, so at least some preservation work is afoot. Bangladesh is a damp, damp place. Most regions of the country receive over a meter of rain in a year, and the hilly northern sections can expect as much as five meters (15 feet!) of rain. This falls primarily during monsoon season, when all the water in the country rises to such a level that land normally used to grow rice becomes a series of shallow lakes in which to fish for food. (And, presumably, the aquarium ...

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