To protect mother hilsa during the peak breeding season and boost production, the government has imposed a 22-day ban on all kinds of fishing, transportation, marketing, and storage of fish in the Meghna and Tentulia rivers of Bhola. The ban, effective from midnight Friday (October 4), will continue until October 25.
As a result, more than 200,000 fishermen will be left without work. The Department of Fisheries has announced that each registered fisherman will receive 25 kg of rice as part of a rehabilitation program. However, fishermen have expressed concern that the rice must be distributed quickly to ease their hardship.
Following the announcement, boats and trawlers have been tied up at the docks. Some fishermen cast their nets for the last time but were forced to return by midnight, while many had already pulled their boats and nets ashore.
Fishermen say they were already in distress as they failed to catch sufficient hilsa at the beginning of the season and could not repay their debts. Now, with the ban, their crisis has deepened. Reports indicate that while Bhola has 168,000 registered fishermen, only 143,438 will receive rice allocations—leaving nearly 10,000 fishermen excluded.
The Department of Fisheries stated that the rice distribution will be completed within a week. Joint operations involving the police, river police, coast guard, and fisheries officials will be carried out to ensure strict enforcement of the ban.
Authorities claim this tough measure is necessary to protect mother hilsa and will play a vital role in boosting hilsa production in the future.