A 65-day fishing ban will be imposed in the maritime areas of Bangladesh from March 1 to April 30 to ensure the safe spawning of fish during its peak breeding period in six districts – Barisal, Chandpur, Laksmipur, Bhola, Shariatpur, and Patuakhali.
The ban aims to support fair breeding, production, and conservation of marine and sustainable fisheries.
During this period, catching all types of fish will be prohibited, according to Nripendra Nath Biswas, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries, Barisal Divisional Office.
Fishermen faced 147 days of bans each year at various stages. This includes a 22-day ban on mother hilsa conservation in October, a 60-day ban on hilsa sanctuaries in March-April, and the upcoming 65-day ban from May 20 to July 23.
The 65-day fishing restriction will cover five major fish sanctuaries, including a 100km stretch in the Meghna River from Shatnol of Chandpur to Char Alexander of Laksmipur, a 90km strip of Shahbazpur Channel at the Meghna estuary in Bhola, a 100km stretch of the Tetulia river from Bheduria in Bhola to Char Rostma in Patuakhali, a 20km strip at lower Padma (Padma confluence) in Shariatpur, and an 82km strip in the Meghna River from Hizla to Mehendiganj in Barisal.
The ban will cover at least 27 districts, including Chandpur, Laksmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalokati, Bagerhat, Shariatpur, Brahmanbaria, Dhaka, Madaripur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Jamalpur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Khulna, Kushtia, and Rajshahi.
The Fisheries Department is responsible for ensuring the safe spawning of Ilish fish within the banning period and monitoring fishermen to prevent fish catches during the ban.
Fishermen involved in catching Hilsa fish in 112 upazilas under 29 districts across the country will receive government incentives.
Each fisherman's family will receive 20kg of rice under the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) program.
Any person violating the government restriction and catching fish from the Hilsa sanctuaries will face a penalty of Tk5,000 or imprisonment for one to two years or both, warned Dr Bimal Chandra Das, district fishery officer (Ilish), Barisal.
