A two-month-long ban on all kinds of fishing including jatka (hilsa fry) in the Padma-Meghna sanctuary area in Bangladesh, will come into effect on March 1. The prohibition, enforced by National Taskforce Committee on Hilsa Resources Development, aims to preserve the aquatic ecosystem and boost hilsa production.
A 70 km span of the sanctuary starts from Shatnal in Matlab Uttar upazila to Charbhairabi in Haimchar upazila. Meetings of the National Taskforce Committee on Hilsa Resources Development have been held to ensure the smooth implementation of the government’s programme, including awareness sessions with fishermen in villages along the Padma-Meghna.
The ban will impact 43,000 registered fishermen in Chandpur district, who refrained from catching jatka for two months from March 1 to April 30. The Bangladesh Government will give them 40 kg of food aid per person, said Golam Mehedi Hasan, District Fisheries Officer, Chandpur.