Fishermen return to Bay as 22-day hilsa ban ends tonight
The government had imposed the restriction from 4 to 25 October, prohibiting the catching, selling, transporting, and hoarding of hilsa to ensure safe breeding during the peak spawning season.
Fishermen and traders along the coastal belt are eagerly preparing to set sail for the Bay of Bengal at one minute past midnight tonight (26 October), as the 22-day nationwide ban on hilsa fishing comes to an end.
The government had imposed the restriction from 4 to 25 October, prohibiting the catching, selling, transporting, and hoarding of hilsa to ensure safe breeding during the peak spawning season.
Earlier this year, a separate 58-day ban was enforced from 15 April to 11 June to protect juvenile hilsa.
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With the restriction lifted, thousands of trawlers are gearing up to return to the sea and rivers near the Sundarbans. The atmosphere at coastal fishing hubs like Shoronkhola, Barguna, Patharghata, and Mongla has turned festive, as fishermen load nets, ice, and fuel in anticipation of a rich haul.
Officials of the Department of Fisheries (DoF) said more than 50,000 fishermen from coastal districts are expected to resume operations immediately after midnight.
During the ban, joint drives by the DoF, Navy, Coast Guard, police, Rapid Action Battalion, and local administrations helped enforce the restriction, with mobile courts punishing violators and confiscating illegal nets.
"We couldn't go fishing for 22 days, but the government provided food assistance that helped us survive," said Abdus Sobhan, a fisherman from Rajeswar village in Shoronkhola upazila of Bagerhat. "Now we're ready to go back to the river."
Other fishermen, including Javed Mia of Khontakata village and Abdul Zalil of Southkhali, said many had to borrow money from lenders and NGOs to manage daily expenses during the ban.
Barguna Fishing Trawler Owners Association President Golam Mostofa Chowdhury told BSS that hundreds of trawlers from Patharghata were preparing to head to the sea in the evening.
Sheikh Mohammad Ali, a fisherman at the Bangladesh Fish Development Corporation (BFDC) fish landing station in Patharghata, said they are optimistic this time.
"Earlier we were frustrated due to the ban, but now everyone -- from fishermen to traders and transport workers -- is happy to return to work."
Md Abul Hossain, president of the Shoronkhola Fishing Trawler Owners Association, echoed the same sentiment.
Fish buyers from Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and other parts of the country have already started arriving at landing stations in Patuakhali, Bagerhat, and Barguna ahead of the expected hilsa rush.
Bagerhat District Fisheries Officer (Acting) Raj Kumar Biswas said the 22-day ban will officially end at midnight. "During the ban, around two lakh meters of illegal nets were seized and destroyed," he said, expressing hope that fishermen would now enjoy a bountiful catch.
