22-day ban on hilsa fishing starts

A 22-day ban on catching, selling, and transporting hilsa fish began yesterday as part of government efforts to safeguard mother hilsa during the peak breeding season.
The ban, enforced by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, will remain in effect until November 3.
On the first day of the ban, Cox’s Bazar Fish Landing Station saw traders selling marine fish, though the quantity was insufficient to meet demand. Abdus Shukkur, a fish seller, said they were selling off the last stock they had purchased on Friday night.
“Once the stock is sold, we will leave the landing station,” he said.
Fishing trawlers were docked along the Bakkhali river, and fishermen were busy cleaning their boats. Mohammad Sobhan, one of the fishermen, lamented the tough times ahead, as recent trips to the sea yielded little catch due to poor weather.
“We couldn’t go fishing for many days because of rough seas. The next 22 days will be difficult,” he said, adding that he would not receive government food aid as he does not have a fisherman’s card.
Meanwhile, Taufiq Mahmud, district fisheries officer of Munshiganj, said that to support affected fishermen, the government is distributing 25 kg of rice to each of 3,000 registered fishing families during this period.He added that mobile courts have been deployed along the Padma river to ensure compliance with the ban.