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The research behind the invention was conducted by the BFRI freshwater substation, Jashore's Principal Scientific Officer Dr Md. Rabiul Awal Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer Md Shariful Islam, and Scientific Officer Shishir Kumar Dey.

Speaking to The Daily Star on Wednesady, Shariful said success has come after three years of intensive research.

"We can expect the Kakila to rise again in the water instead of fearing its extinction… This is the first artificial propagation of Kakila in Bangladesh, and no information was found about this fish being artificially bred anywhere else in the world."

BFRI scientists say Kakila is a kind of fish found mostly in open inland freshwater bodies, especially rivers, canals and haors etc. The fish is rich in beneficial micronutrients for the human body.

Once upon a time, Kakila was found in abundance in inland water bodies, but due to climate impacts, natural disasters and various man-made habitats, breeding grounds were damaged and the number of the fish began decreasing drastically. In this context, BFRI began its research to bring back the abundance of this fish.

According to the scientists, Kakila or "Kakhle" is an endangered fish. The type found in Bangladesh is of the freshwater variety. The fish is better known as Kaikala or Kaikka in most parts of Bangladesh.