Staff Reporter
The government has im-posed a ban on Hil-sa catching, selling, transporting and hoard-ing for the next 22 days from midnight tonight to protect mother Hilsa for ensuring safe breeding.
The restriction will re-main effective from Oc-tober 8 to October 29.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Na-tional Taskforce Com-mittee on Hilsa Resource Development held at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Minis-try of Agriculture recent-ly.
According to the deci-sion, transportation, stor-age, marketing, buy-ing, selling and exchange of Hilsa will also remain prohibited across the country during the ban period.
The government will provide Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) food assistance to fishermen who refrain from fishing during the period.
Fishermen are starting to return from the deep sea to fish landing centres as the ban approaches.
In Chandpur, a 22-day ban on fishing has begun in a 70-kilometre stretch of the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur to ensure the safe breeding of Hilsa and protect the country’s national fish resource.
Ahead of the ban, many fishermen in Chandpur have already brought their boats and fishing nets ashore. While some are repairing their boats, others are busy mending damaged nets.
Meanwhile, district and upazila task forces have taken preparations to enforce the restriction.
It was found that fisher-men preparing for the 22-day fishing halt while visiting different fishing communities from Wednesday morn-ing to noon.
