Different species of indigenous fishes is under threat of extinction in Patuakhali due to continued drying up of rivers and lack of adequate water in water bodies like haors and beels. Once famous for fish resources, the coastal district produced a huge quantity of sweet-water fishes in the rivers and water bodies but now the scenario has changed, local sources said. Continued drying up of the rivers, and absence of water in canals, beels, haors and ponds have threatened existence of sweet water fishes in the district, the sources said. Indiscriminate catching of fish fries and spraying of pesticides in low lying areas for crop cultivation are also the reason for continued decline in production of sweet-water fishes in the district, according to official sources. Fishes like Shoul, Gazal, Magur, Koi, Shing, Pabda, Gaina, Taki, Baien, Boush, Chela, Tengra, Gulisha, Kaikka, Boal, Malenda, Puti, Chunaputi, Bhedi, Chanda and Chapli were once found aplenty in the district. After meeting the local demand, a huge quantity of fishes produced in the district was supplied to other parts of the country including capital city of Dhaka. Even a large quantity of these fishes had remained surplus and they were kept preserved as