11-day ban on hilsa catching starts today
An 11-day ban on catching hilsa, meant for ensuring safe spawning of the popular fish during the peak breeding period, starts today.
"We have imposed the September 25 to October 5 ban not only on netting hilsa in certain coastal areas including 7,000 square kilometres of hilsa breeding grounds at four points of seven coastal districts, but also on marketing, sale and transport of the fish across the country," said Bankim Chandra, deputy director of Barisal office of fisheries directorate.
Movement of mother hilsa fish is connected with tithi (time circle of lunar calendar) of full moon and new moon (purnima and amabasya) in the Bangla calendar-month of Ashwin and the ban has been imposed accordingly, sources in the fishing directorate said.
During the peak period of the breeding season between the five-day before and five-day after the full moon in 'Ashwin', lakhs of mother hilsas proceed from the sea to the coast, estuary and rivers to lay eggs, they said.
Fishery researchers hoped the 11-day restriction would ensure safety to around 1.5 crore mother hilsa, giving them chance to naturally lay 46,800 kg of eggs.
If half of the laid eggs can become embryo, 29.93 crores of hilsa renu (pollen) will be made and if 10 percent of the pollen survive, 2.93 crore jatka (fry) could be produced, fishery officials said.
If only 10-20 percent of the jatka can get the chance to reach maturity, then around 2 lakh tonnes of hilsa worth hundreds of cores of taka could be get every year, said fisheries officials.
The fisheries directorate has arranged awareness campaign through setting posters, ganging banners, holding view exchange meetings with fishermen and authorities concerned to make the ban successful, they said.
The district and upazila administrations, navy, coastguard and the police have been asked to monitor the enforcement of the ban and take action in case of any violation. Mobile courts will conduct drives in the rivers and bazaars.
Our Patuakhali Correspondent adds: The areas where hilsa catching has been banned are Latachaplee point near Kuakata beach under Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali district, Sherkali to Haitkandi point under Mirsharai upazila in Chittagong district, North Kutubdia to Gandamara point in Cox's Bazar district and North Tajumoddin to West Syded Aulia point under Bhola district.
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