60-day fishing ban in Meghna, other coastal rivers begins
A hilsa less than 10 inches in size is called jatka (small hilsa), and the age of such a hilsa remains around 8-9 months
The government has imposed a fishing ban in the Meghna and other coastal rivers to support hilsa growth.
The ban will be effective from 1 March to 30 April. During this period, selling, buying and storing hilsa will remain banned.
Fishermen who refrain from catching hilsa during the ban will receive 40kg of food assistance under the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme.
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According to the fishery department in Lakshmipur, a 100km area stretching from Alexander in Ramgati to Shatnal in Chadpur's Matlab upazila has been declared the breeding ground for hilsa.
A hilsa less than 10 inches in size is called jatka (small hilsa), and the age of such a hilsa remains around 8-9 months.
Small hilsa swim to the sanctuary during the fishing ban from March to April, data from the fisheries department showed.
Hilsa fishing also remains banned for 22 days in October so that mother hilsa can lay eggs, and there is a provision to punish those who break the rules through mobile courts, said the fisheries department.
Lakshmipur Fisheries Officer Mohammad Bellal Hossain said, "A task force has been formed with members of the law enforcement agencies so that fishermen cannot catch hilsa during the ban."
"During this time, the Fisheries Department, along with local administration and law enforcement agencies, will conduct drives to prevent people from catching, selling and buying small hilsa," he added.
According to the fisheries department data, there are 38,875 fishermen in Lakshmipur, among whom 28,344 will receive 80kg of food assistance in two phases during the ban.
In 2000, IUCN said in their report that the amount of hilsa had increased in ten other countries except Bangladesh.
In 2002, the Bangladesh government banned catching mother and small hilsa during the breeding period.
Since 2003-2004, the government has been carrying out a programme to protect small hilsa.
Since then, the number of hilsa has been increasing, according to fishery experts.
According to World Fish data, 86% of the world's hilsa is produced in Bangladesh in terms of production and export.
According to the data, Bangladesh stands first among the 11 countries that produce hilsa.
Bangladesh produced 5.71 lakh tonnes of hilsa during the 2023-2024 fiscal yesr. Around 25 lakh people in the country are involved in hilsa business. Hilsa trading has been playing an important role in eradicating poverty and producing employment in the coastal islands and char areas, data showed.
In 2017, hilsa of Bangladesh received the geographical indication (GI) tag.
