22-day ban on Hilsha fishing begins tomorrow

A 22-day government ban on fishing, selling, hoarding and transporting Hilsha will come into effect from Thursday (12 October) to save mother hilsa during the peak breeding season in three upazilas of the district, official sources said today.

District Fisheries Officer (DFO) Md Saifur Rahman told BSS that the ban will continue for 22 days till 2 November.

"Mother Hilsha Conservation Campaign was being conducted through all three Upazilas of the district. The government is providing VGF food assistance to the fishermen who will refrain from catching hilsa during the period," the DFO said.

The government has allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme for distribution to 8000 fisherman families of three upazilas-Harirampur, Shibalaya and Daulatpur for their food assistance.
 
The DFO said the distribution of rice is continuing among the recipients through the concerned Union Parishad Chairman. Each of the listed fisherman families is getting 25 Kgs of rice under the VGF programme, he added.

Hilsa, the national fish of Bangladesh, is recognised as a certified patented product of Bangladesh. The marine fish flies to rivers in Bangladesh to lay eggs.

 The fish is very popular both in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India.

About 75% of the world's Hilsa is netted in Bangladesh, the sources added.

The sources said "Chandpur is considered one of the largest trading hubs of hilsa in Bangladesh as the fish from the Padma River is much more popular than the ones that come from other rivers because of its extremely pleasing taste."