The government has decided to observe Jatka Conservation Week from Tuesday to Monday, with the goal of raising awareness and creating a social movement for the protection of jatka, which is an essential early stage of ilish.
The theme for this year's Jatka Conservation Week is "If jatka fishing stops, ilish will fill the nets."
Jatka, when overfished, prevents ilish from reaching maturity, thus limiting the production of adult ilish and affecting future spawning.
A female ilish can produce between 250,000 to 2.3 million eggs, and by catching jatka and gravid ilish, the overall production decreases, impacting the livelihoods of fishermen.
Therefore, the preservation of both jatka and adult ilish is crucial for ensuring the future production of ilish and enhancing the earnings of fishermen.
What is jatka?
Jatka refers to the young generation of ilish fish.
The migratory adult female ilish breed in the upper reaches of major rivers like the Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna, where they release their eggs.
The larvae grow in these areas and, after 6 to 10 weeks, reach a length of 12-20cm and are then classified as jatka.
According to Bangladesh's fisheries law, jatka was originally defined as fish less than 9 inches in length, but the 2014 gazette revised this to define jatka as ilish fish with a length of 10 inches or 25cm, from the tip of the nose to the tail.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, an ilish weighing one kilogram should be at least 40-50cm long, and a fish weighing over 2 kilograms should measure between 60-62cm.
Through Jatka Conservation Week, the aim is to transform jatka into adult ilish.
Government initiatives and programs
This year, Jatka Conservation Week will be celebrated in 20 ilish-rich districts, including Dhaka, Manikganj, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Munshiganj, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Jhalakathi, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Noakhali, Chittagong, Bagerhat, and Sirajganj.
During the seven-day event, central and field-level programs will be held in districts and upazilas.
To boost ilish production, the government has implemented various initiatives, including establishing sanctuaries for ilish, banning fishing for jatka and during breeding seasons, observing Jatka Conservation Week, and enforcing a 65-day fishing ban at sea.
The country's fisheries sanctuaries are located in the Padma and Meghna river basins, covering a total area of 432 kilometres. These areas help ensure the uninterrupted breeding and production of ilish.
The government enforces strict penalties for catching jatka.
From November to June each year, it is prohibited to catch jatka, with violators facing imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to Tk5,000.
Special combing operations are regularly carried out to eliminate illegal fishing nets like current nets and behundi nets.
Additionally, public awareness campaigns on jatka and ilish conservation are broadcast through TVCs, jingles, and printed materials.
Economic importance of ilish
Ilish contributes more than 1% to the country’s GDP, playing a significant role in economic development, employment generation, export earnings, and providing safe protein.
It constitutes 12.22% of the total fish production in the country.
Currently, Bangladesh is the leading producer of ilish among 11 ilish-producing countries.
Ilish production has increased by approximately 83.95% over the past decade, with a record 5.29 million tons of ilish produced in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
In fact, more than 80% of the world’s ilish comes from Bangladesh’s rivers, estuaries, and seas.
According to Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter, this year’s Jatka Conservation Week theme is aimed at emphasizing the economic importance of ilish.
She highlighted that around 600,000 people are directly involved in ilish fishing, with an additional 2-2.5 million people working in related sectors such as transportation, sales, net and boat construction, ice production, processing, and export.
The government continues its efforts to ensure that ilish reaches the hands of people across the country by enhancing the management of this important resource, she added.