22-day ban on hilsa fishing begins Friday

The government is going to impose a 22-day ban on hilsa fishing from 7 October.

Hilsa catching, selling and transporting will remain prohibited during the period to ensure the safe spawning of the popular fish during its peak breeding period. The ban will remain in place till 28 October, public relations officer of the fisheries and livestock ministry, reports UNB.

Fisheries and livestock minister SM Rezaul Karim will inform in details over the restriction at a press briefing on Thursday at the Secretariat, he said.

The objective of the restriction on fishing is to save the mother hilsa which lays eggs during the period.

According to the ministry of fisheries and livestock, hilsa production jumped from 300,000 mts in 2008-09 to 500,000 mts in 2017-18 and its production touched 533,000 mts in 2019 thanks to the government for its various steps taken to give a boost to its output.

Bangladesh’s over 12.0 per cent fish production comes from hilsa, posting the highest contribution to the country’s fish output as a single fish species.

Hilsa, the national fish of Bangladesh, is recognised as a certified patented product of Bangladesh. The marine fish flies to rivers in Bangladesh to lay eggs. The fish is very popular both in Bangladesh and West Bengal. About 75 per cent of the world's hilsa is netted in Bangladesh.

Chandpur is considered one of the largest trading hubs of hilsa in Bangladesh as the fish from the Padma River is much more popular than the ones that come from other rivers because of its extremely pleasing taste.