Around 54,000 registered fishermen in Lakshmipur are preparing to return to the Meghna River following the end of a 22-day fishing ban, with the Fisheries Department expecting hilsa production to rise after what it described as a successful enforcement drive.
During the first 20 days of the ban, from 8 to 27 October, authorities detained 150 fishermen, seized nearly 37 lakh metres of illegal current nets, confiscated 4.5 tonnes of hilsa and 20 fishing boats, and filed 100 cases.
According to the district Fisheries Department, 229 enforcement operations and mobile court drives were conducted during the period. Of those detained, 73 received prison sentences of varying lengths, while 77 were fined a total of Tk1.95 lakh.
The seized hilsa was distributed among orphanages.
The ban, imposed from 8 to 29 October, prohibited fishing to protect mother hilsa and juvenile fish and boost production.
It covered a 100-kilometre stretch of the Meghna from Alexander in Ramgati to Shatnal in Chandpur.
The preservation, transportation, marketing and storage of hilsa were also prohibited.
A Fisheries Department-led taskforce conducted enforcement operations between Alexander and Hajimara in Raipur.
Ahead of the ban’s expiry, fishermen repaired nets and boats and prepared to resume work at fishing stations across the district.
Shafik Ullah and Mana Majhi of Matirhat fishing station said they had complied with the restrictions and stayed away from the river.
“This year’s enforcement was much stricter than last year’s. Fishermen were afraid to enter the river because of the administration’s strong position. Those who violated the ban were arrested, and many were jailed,” they said.
Both said they had received their allocated rice assistance and were preparing to return to fishing.
They said the stricter patrols had discouraged fishermen from venturing onto the river during the restricted period.
However, other fishermen alleged irregularities in the distribution of government assistance.
The government allocated 1,153 tonnes of rice under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme, with an entitlement of 25 kilograms per fisherman.
Some complained that they had yet to receive their allocations, while others alleged that people from unrelated occupations had received the assistance.
Abul Kalam and Tofayel Ahmed of Maju Chowdhuryhat fishing station said local fishermen had observed the ban but alleged that rice intended for them had been distributed to people from other professions.
They hoped renewed fishing would help them support their families and meet their children’s education expenses.
Mintu, a fish trader at Maju Chowdhuryhat, said preparations had been made to reopen trading.
“We hope hilsa will be caught in large numbers once the ban ends. The fishing stations will become busy again,” he said.
Maju Chowdhuryhat River Police Sub-Inspector Md Abdur Rahman said teams had patrolled the river day and night despite obstacles.
He described the operation as largely successful, citing cooperation among the River Police, Fisheries Department, Coast Guard and local administration.
Lakshmipur District Fisheries Officer Md Jasim Uddin also called the drive successful.
“Fish production declined over the past two years. We expect production to increase this year,” he said.
He said the district’s production target was 25,000 tonnes, up 2,000 tonnes from last year, and that action against illegal fishing would continue.
