22-day ban on catching, selling hilsa begins tomorrow

Fisheries and livestock minister SM Rezaul Karim has said no one will be allowed to catch mother hilsa during the hilsa ban which starts from 14 October, reports UNB.

“No boat will be allowed to ply spots in the river where mother hilsas roam. Members of Navy and the coast guard’s special monitoring team will work to prevent catching of hilsa,” he said on Monday.

The government is going to impose a ban on catching, hoarding and transporting of hilsa from 14 October to 4 November to protect hilsas with eggs.

Besides, legal action will be taken against anyone for catching hilsa during the ban, he said at a press briefing on the implementation of ‘mother hilsa conservation drive-2020’ at the ministry.

Mentioning that we want to bring back the abundance, taste and availability of hilsa in the country, the minister said, “This year, Bangladesh has produced more than 80 per cent of the total hilsa in the world. The size and taste of the hilsa is better than the previous years.”

He said this year hilsa production has broken all the past records and the government has taken a plan to continue the production trend.

The government will also provide food assistance to fishermen who will refrain from catching hilsa in 152 upazilas of 32 districts.

River police and coast guard members will patrol the rivers to make the programme a success, he said.

Earlier, a two-month government ban on catching, selling and transporting of hilsa began on 1 March and ended 1 May.