Fishermen in the coastal areas in the country started to reap the benefits of a 65-day fishing ban that was lifted on Saturday. They have been returning home with trawlers full of hilsa.
Since Sunday, fishermen in Cox’s Bazar have started going to the Bay and are getting good catches.
The ban was imposed on May 20 to ensure a smooth breeding of fish.
Men who left with their nets and trawlers in the morning were seen returning with a vessel full of Hilsa fish. They are also catching other varieties of saltwater fish, local fishermen told Dhaka Tribune.
Hilsa netted from the Bay of Bengal and different rivers have already flooded the wholesale fish market in the district.
On the first day after the ban was lifted, fishermen sailed to the sea and brought in a huge load of hilsa to the market, cheering trawler owners, traders and fishermen.
Ahsanul Huq, manager of the fish landing centre in Cox’s Bazar, said: “On the first day of fishing after the ban was lifted, 16 metric tons of fishes were sold in the market. The target for the year is 9000 metric tons.”
Fishermen were seen returning to the shore after getting a good catch. They said the catch would be even better if they could spend a week or ten days in the sea.
Hilsa are found in different oceans under various names and are found in 10 to 12 different countries. But Bangladesh produces the bulk, around 86%, of the world's hilsa.
Shamsul Alam, a fisherman, said: “We started catching fish after midnight on Saturday. We were fishing after two months. We had a good catch. We are happy.”
Another fisherman, Humayun Kader, said: “We expected to get a huge amount of fish following the ban and my expectations have been fulfilled.”
A trader, Syed Hossain, said they are getting hilsa that are large in size, each selling for Tk1100 to 1200.
He said the price will come down further once more fishermen start bringing their catches to the market.
Md Badruzzaman, district fisheries officer, said: “Fishermen left for the sea from different points on trawlers. They are getting good quantities of fish and are happy with the catch.”
He said that the tradition of the 65-day fishing ban by the government began in 2015. He noted that the tradition is paying off as fishermen find hilsa with better density in the Bay.