BSS:

Hilsa fishing will remain banned across the country for 22 days from October 8 to 29 to ensure safe breeding of the national fish during its peak spawning season.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Taskforce Committee on Hilsa Resource Development held at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture today.

Fisheries and Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid chaired the meeting.

According to the decision, transportation, storage, marketing, buying, selling and exchange of hilsa will also remain prohibited across the country during the ban period.

The government will provide Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) food assistance to fishermen who refrain from fishing during the period.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid said there would be no compromise in protecting mother hilsa to ensure sustainable production of the fish.

He directed the authorities to strengthen monitoring and conduct drives in major hilsa breeding grounds, including Barishal, Chandpur and Bhola.

The minister called for coordinated efforts by district administrations, River Police, Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries to strictly enforce the fishing ban during the spawning season.

Additional boats and logistical support will be provided at hotspots if necessary, he added.

The minister also ordered strict drives to remove illegal fishing nets from breeding grounds, including the Chandpur confluence, saying no one would be allowed to catch or market hilsa during the prohibited period.

He expressed optimism that continued coordinated efforts by all relevant agencies to protect mother hilsa would help increase hilsa production in the next season.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku said the reasons behind the decline in hilsa production should be identified through research.

“Areas of weakness and gaps in ongoing activities need to be identified and necessary measures taken accordingly,” he said.

Emphasising the need to curb the use of illegal fishing nets, he said effective measures must be taken to stop the production and sale of prohibited nets.

Fishermen’s representatives should also raise awareness among fishing communities against purchasing such nets, he added.

A coordinated action plan would be adopted in the coming days to protect hilsa as a national resource and a Geographical Indication (GI) product and to increase its production, he added.

Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Secretary Md Delwar Hossain, Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation Chairman Md Mir Hossain, Department of Fisheries Director General Dr Md Khaled Kanak and Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Director General Dr Md Latiful Islam attended the meeting, among others.