Fisheries and livestock ministry has threatened to take serious action against individuals who breach the limitation during the peak breeding season of the national fish as the 22-day prohibition on capturing hilsha begins tomorrow.
“Mobile court will be conducted to bring those to book who will violate the ban. Law enforcers and local administrations concerned have been asked to take necessary steps so that no fish catching boats-trawlers venture into rivers and seas during the 22-day ban,” said fisheries and livestock minister S M Rezaul Karim at a press conference at his secretariat office today.
In order to protect mother fishes during their peak breeding season, the government has banned the catching of hilsha fishes from October 12 to November 2 throughout a huge area of 7,000 square kilometers and 27 districts nationwide.
All hilsha-related activities across the nation—outside of the hilsha breeding grounds—will be halted for 22 days, including procurement, marketing, buying, selling, transportation, and hoarding.
A large combined operation would be conducted over the course of the 22 days at all of the country’s chain stores, warehouses, and fishery ghats. The restriction will be enforced by the fisheries department, navy, air force, coast guard, police, river police, RAB, BGB, district and upazila administrations, as well as the ministry of fisheries and livestock.
The biggest single species contribution to the nation’s overall fish production is made by the hilsha, at 11%. A total of 5 lakh persons are directly and 20–25 lakh indirectly involved in the country’s hilsha fish catch.
According to S M Rezaul Karim, the government has already given 872.18 tonnes of food aid to 155 upazilas in 37 districts, serving 5,54,887 fishermen households.
At the press conference were, among others, Department of Fisheries Director General K Mahbubul Haque, Additional Secretary Md Abdul Quayum, and Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Dr. Nahid Rashid.
