The government has imposed a 22-day ban on all types of fishing in the Meghna River from the midnight of Wednesday, 7 October to 29 October to preserve jatka (juvenile hilsa) and protect mother hilsa.
A 100-kilometre stretch of the Meghna River extending from Alexander in Ramgati, Lakshmipur to Shatnol in Chandpur has been declared a hilsa sanctuary, where all fishing activities and net casting have been prohibited by the government.
During this period, the conservation, harvesting, transportation, marketing, commercialisation, and stockpiling of all forms of hilsa remain strictly banned.
To raise public awareness across riverine and coastal zones, the District Administration and the District Fisheries Department are conducting continuous publicity drives, including postering and announcements via loudspeakers.
According to the District Fisheries Office, 54,000 registered fishermen in the district depend on the Meghna River for their livelihoods. During the ban, 42,150 fisher families will receive food assistance totalling 153 metric tonnes of VGF (Vulnerable Group Feeding) rice, distributed at a rate of 25 kg of rice per fisherman.
However, 11,850 registered fishermen are currently excluded from receiving VGF rice, though the Fisheries Department stated that food aid will be extended to them phase by phase.
Local fishermen announced that they will observe the government prohibition and refrain from entering the river to help protect mother hilsa, conserve jatka, and boost overall fish production.
Nevertheless, they alleged that their promised rehabilitation has not been implemented yet and that government food aid remains insufficient relative to the total number of fishermen in the area. They demanded that accurate beneficiary lists be compiled rapidly without any looting or misappropriation of allocated rice so that they receive their entitled support promptly.
District Fisheries Officer Md Jashim Uddin said that daily drives will be carried out on the river by joint teams comprising the Fisheries Department, Upazila and District Administration, Police, and Coast Guard to strictly enforce the ban.
He warned that legal action will be taken against anyone who violates the law by going into the river during this time. He added that if the enforcement drive is successfully executed, there is a strong possibility of achieving significantly higher hilsa production.
