Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter on Monday announced that netting of ilish will be suspended nationwide from October 4 to 25, as part of a special drive to protect ilish.
She announced this at a press conference held at the ministry’s conference room at the Secretariat.
The adviser said that to ensure sustainable ilish production and allow mother ilish to safely spawn during the peak breeding season, a notification has been issued prohibiting the collection, transportation, storage, marketing, purchase, sale, and exchange of ilish across the country in accordance with the Fisheries Conservation Act, 1950.
She added that the Fisheries Department has declared the special mother ilish protection drive for 2025 will be conducted from October 4 to 25, including four days before the full moon of Ashwin (Bangla month) and three days after the new moon, totaling 22 days.
The timeline was determined based on the advice of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) and other relevant organizations, particularly local fishers.
The adviser said both the full moon and new moon periods during the breeding season are critical for spawning, ensuring maximum reproduction. The initiative is known as the “Mother ilish Protection Drive 2025.”
During this period, ilish collection, transport, sale, storage, and exchange in rivers will be completely banned. The operation will involve fisheries officials along with the River Police, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force.
She said that 6,20,140 fisher families in 165 upazilas of 37 districts will receive 25kg of rice per family under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) program, totaling 15,503.50 metric tonnes for the entire operation.
The adviser said intrusion of trawlers outside water boundaries will be strictly controlled, dredging in rivers will be completely halted, and ilish collection along the sea, coast, and river mouths will remain fully banned for 22 days during the peak breeding season.
She noted that during the previous 22-day drive from October 13 to November 3, 2,169 mobile courts and 9,813 operations led to the seizure of 54.86 metric tonnes of ilish, destruction of 612 lakh meters of nets, and collection of fines totaling Tk75.27 lakh.
According to BFRI research, the 2024 ban allowed 52.5% of mother ilish to safely spawn, adding 44,250 crore fry/larvae to fish families, which will mature into adult ilish in the future.
The adviser expressed hope that the 2025 drive will be even more organized and effective.
She noted that ilish require both river and marine environments for their life cycle. Mother ilish enter freshwater rivers from the sea via estuaries to spawn, with larvae returning to the sea to mature. The Barisal division contributes over 85% of the national production.
