Ilish (Hilsha) hunters are getting preparations with their rafts and nets for catching fish in Padma and Meghna as two-month total ban on fishing in the two major rivers will come to end today (April 30), reports BSS.
The government imposed ban on Hilsha fishing on the breeding ground from Shatnal to Char Bhoiravi areas as part of national campaign particularly to
ensure safe spawning of this popular fish during its peak breeding period.
Families of more than 51,000 registered fishermen in the district are busy to prepare their boats, nets and other materials to start their voyage to catch fish.
“We could not go to the river for fishing for the last two months due to government restriction. We
have maintained our livelihood with the food support of the government,” Yakub Sardar, a fisherman of Ramdasdi area of Sadar Upazila said.
He hoped that this year they would be able to harvest Hilsha better than ever before.
However, another fisherman Ibrahim Bepari opined that an unscrupulous section continued catching ‘Jhatka’ (immature
Hilsha) defying government restriction which might cause decline to total production of the most
delicious and country’s national fish this year.
District Fishery Officer Asadul Baki the district administration has made its utmost stride to check catching ‘jatka’ fishes. However, some fishermen secretly continued fishing `jatka’ defying the official ban and many of them were brought to the book.