Govt bans fishing in Meghna for two months to protect jatka

In an effort to preserve jatka and increase hilsa production, the government has banned fishing of any kind in the Meghna River for two months, from March 1 to April 30.

Ice mills will remain closed throughout this time, and it will be illegal to catch, transport, market, or store any kind of hilsa.

Each fisherman will get 160 kilograms of VGF rice over the course of four months, including the restricted period, during the prohibition period.

Fisheries officials said coordinated drives will be conducted daily in the river by the fisheries department, upazila and district administrations, police and the Coast Guard to enforce the ban.

According to the district fisheries office and fishermen, there are 52,000 fishermen in the district, of whom 43,000 are registered.

A 100-kilometre stretch of the river from Alexander in Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur to Shatnol in Chandpur has been declared a hilsa sanctuary.

To educate fishermen about the limitations, the district government and the district fisheries department have been conducting awareness efforts in river and coastal areas. These programs have included miking and the distribution of posters.

Although there are laws for the rehabilitation of fisherman, they have not yet been put into practice, according to fishermen Kalam, Mintu, and Sharif Hossain of Mozu Chowdhury’s Hat. They claimed that there are more fisherman than there is food assistance provided by the government.

During the ban time, they demanded that the allotted rice be distributed to fisherman according to an exact list, free of any inconsistencies.

Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md Mahamudul Hasan Chowdhury said joint drives would be conducted daily by the fisheries department, upazila and district administrations, police and the Coast Guard to enforce the two-month ban.

Legal action, including imprisonment and fines, will be taken against those who violate the restriction, he said, adding that action would be taken against anyone defying the law.

Deputy Commissioner SM Mehdi Hasan said a taskforce coordination committee, led by the district and upazila administrations, is working to implement the two-month ban to conserve jatka and increase hilsa production.

He added that legal action would be taken if any irregularities are found in the distribution of VGF rice.