Staff Correspondent:

The weeklong national ‘Jatka Conservation Week-2025’ will be observed from April 8 to 14 aiming to boost sustainable hilsa production and make the national fish more affordable for the general public.

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter shared the information at a press conference at the Secretariat on Monday.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Department of Fisheries have jointly taken the initiative under a broader plan to ensure sustainable hilsa development.

The adviser said, “To prevent hoarding, smuggling, and tackle the hilsa syndicate, I personally participated in several stakeholder meetings across key hilsa-producing districts including Barisal, Barguna, and Chandpur. As a result of our interim government’s timely measures, we have been able to curb the illegal transport of hilsa. We have also initiated visible actions at the factory level to halt the production of illegal fishing nets.”

She stressed the socio-economic importance of hilsa, calling it an integral part of Bangladesh’s heritage, economy, and nutrition.

“Hilsa contributes to fulfilling the country’s nutritional needs, generating employment, supporting fishermen’s livelihoods, and strengthening the rural economy,” she added.

In FY 2023-24, hilsa production in Bangladesh stood at 5.29 lakh metric tonnes, accounting for nearly 11% of the country’s total fish production. Hilsa also contributes more than 1% to the national GDP. Bangladesh alone produces over 80% of the world’s hilsa, placing it at the top among 11 hilsa-producing nations, she informed.

Recognized as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of Bangladesh, hilsa directly employs around 600,000 people in harvesting, while another 20 to 25 lakh people are involved in transportation, sales, net and boat making, ice production, processing, and exports—either directly or indirectly, the adviser said.

To ensure sustainable and consistent hilsa production, the government has committed to annual nationwide awareness and enforcement campaigns. This year’s theme for Jatka Conservation Week 2025 is “If jatka is not caught, nets will fill with hilsa.”

‘Jatka’ refers to juvenile hilsa under 10 inches (25 cm) in length. In comparison, hilsa weighing 1 kg typically measures 40–50 cm, while fish over 2 kg can grow up to 60–62 cm. Through this campaign, the aim is to allow jatka to mature into full-sized hilsa.

The week will be observed in 20 hilsa-rich districts including Dhaka, Manikganj, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Munshiganj, Barishal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Jhalakathi, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Noakhali, Chattogram, Bagerhat, and Sirajganj.

Various awareness and enforcement programmes will be carried out at both central and field levels, including district and upazila levels.