The government has imposed a ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transportation of hilsa in different rivers for 22 days from October 12 to protect hilsa breeding. Around 7,000 square kilometres area of rivers in 27 districts have been earmarked as the breeding ground of the hilsa, according to a fisheries and livestock ministry’s note yesterday. The areas are from Shaher Khali of Mirsarai upazila to Haitkandi point, Uttar Tajumuddin to Poshchim Syed Awlia point in Tajumuddin upazila, Lota Chapali point of Kolapara upazila, and Uttar Kutubdia to Gandarmara point in Kutubdia upazila. The 27 districts are: Chandpur, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Shariatpur, Brahmanbaria, Dhaka, Madaripur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Jamalpur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Khulna, Kushtia and Rajshahi. Apart from rivers of those districts, all the coastal areas and estuaries will be under the purview of the ban. Drives against catching, selling, hoarding and transportation of hilsa would be conducted at fishery ghats, fish markets, bazars and chain shops across the country, the note said. The fisheries and livestock ministry, department of fisheries, navy, air force, coastguard, police, river police, Border Guard Bangladesh and district administrations will work together to make the government decision successful, it added.The decisions were taken at a meeting at conference room of the fisheries and livestock ministry yesterday. Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Hoque chaired the meeting. Earlier, Anisur Rahman, chief scientific officer at Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute in Chandpur, said the annual ban, usually 15 days long, was extended this year for ensuring safe spawning of hilsa during its peak breeding season. The ban was extended as researchers found that spawning hilsas were caught before and after the 15-day ban in the last few years, Anis added. Schools of mother hilsas start swimming upstream from the sea towards the rivers, weeks before the full moon in October (Ashwin in Bengali calendar), and they return to the sea after spawning, he added. The government has been imposing fishing bans since 2003-04 to protect hilsa spawning. The catch of hilsa rose significantly this year due to the successful implementation of ban over the last couple of years, said a fisheries officer in Chandpur.
2016 / thedailystar.net