22-day ban on hilsa fishing begins tomorrow

A 22-day government ban on catching, selling and transporting Hilsha will come into effect from October 13 (Tomorrow) to save mother hilsa during the peak breeding season in three upazilas of the district.

District Fishery Officer (DFO) Md Saifur Rahman said the ban would continue 22 days till November 03.

“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 tons of rice under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) program for distribution to 8000 fisherman families of three upazilas- Harirampur, Shibalaya and Daulatpur for their food assistance.

The DFO said the distribution of rice will be conducted among the recipients through the concerned Union Parishad Chairman. He added that each of the listed fisherman families will get 25 kg of rice under the VGF program.

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.

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.”