To conserve jatka (young hilsa) and increase production, the government has banned all kinds of fishing for two months in the Padma and Meghna rivers of Chandpur district and in other sanctuary areas of the country.

The ban takes effect from midnight on Saturday, 28 February, and remains in force until 30 April.

The programme runs every year in March and April so that jatka can move safely and hilsa production can rise. As part of it, casting nets, catching, buying, selling, stocking and transporting fish are completely banned along about 100 km of river from Shatnal in Matlab Uttar upazila of Chandpur to Char Alexander. The district task force has completed all preparations to enforce the ban, and the district administration and law enforcement agencies will run regular drives throughout the two months.

Anyone caught fishing in violation of the ban faces a jail term of at least one year and up to two years, or a fine of up to Tk 5,000, or both.

More than 40,000 registered fishers in the district are hardest hit by the ban. The government has announced 40 kg of rice in each of four instalments, 160 kg in total, for registered fishers. The fishers say this is inadequate given their household costs. They want the food aid increased and the collection of NGO loan instalments suspended during the ban.

With fishing halted, many fishers have already begun repairing their boats and nets. They say that with no alternative work, they and their families suffer greatly for two months.

Mukbul Majhi and Saiful Islam, fishers on the Meghna bank in Chandpur Sadar, said they always obey the ban, but the rice the government gives is not enough. Along with rice they need oil, salt and other vegetables, and they asked who would bear that cost. They want the government to increase the support.

The fishers said they have to get by on loans for the two months. If the administration halted NGO instalments during this time it would help them greatly, and they would pay the instalments once fishing resumes; with no income now, paying is not possible.

Deputy Commissioner Md Nazmul Islam Sarker said the government is taking a firm stand on jatka conservation. The administration has made all necessary preparations and arrangements to enforce the ban, and the drive can succeed only with the fishers' full cooperation, he said.

He added that the government's set incentive of 40 kg of rice will be given, and there is no separate special incentive for fishers. However, under one project there are 8,500 fishers in Chandpur Sadar, Haimchar and Matlab Uttar who receive other food aid along with rice.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.