The government has imposed a countrywide ban on catching, transporting, marketing and selling hilsa fish for 11 days, starting from today, to facilitate its egg laying and boost hilsa production.
Uzzal Bikash Datta, secretary of the fisheries and livestock ministry, announced the ban yesterday at a press conference at the Department of Fisheries in the capital.
People should avoid consuming the fish for those days, he said.
Thanks to the government’s steps to save mother hilsa and hilsa fry (jatka), its production rose to 3.40 lakh tonnes in the 2011-12 fiscal year, up from 2.90 lakh tonnes in 2007-2008, said Uzzal.
He, however, said hilsa would be more available nationwide if a sizeable portion of its production were not smuggled out of the country.
The government in the 2011-12 fiscal year exported 6,173 tonnes of hilsa worth Tk 294 crore, he added.
Uzzal said if people stop using fine nylon nets, known as “current nets”, the production of hilsa would increase by 2-2.5 lakh tonnes annually.
Mobile courts will be deployed to take action against the violators of the ban. Besides, Bangladesh Navy, coast guard, Rab, police and local administration will conduct joint drives against them, he said.
The government earlier announced five areas as hilsa fish sanctuaries and imposed a ban on catching any kind of fish there for certain periods every year, the ministry sources said.
The ban is from March to April in four sanctuaries — Shatnol of Chandpur to Char Alexander of Laxmipur, Char Ilisha to Char Pial of Bhola, Bheduria of Bhola to Char Rustam of Patuakhali and a 20-km stretch of Padma River between Shariatpur and Chandpur.
In the other sanctuary — a 40 km stretch of Andharmanik River in Kalapara upazila of Patukhali — the period of ban is from November to January.
-With The Daily Star input
