Despite the ban, hilsa is being sold openly on ferries on the Daulatdia-Paturia route of the Padma river. The scene was seen on Wednesday (22 October) afternoon on a ferry that left Daulatdia ghat in Goalanda for Paturia.
Vendors carrying small baskets were moving around the ferry calling out to sell hilsa. Every basket held small (jatka) sized hilsa.
A vendor who did not want to be named said: "I am going round the ferry calling out and selling fish, and many people are buying. I take whatever price I can get from each buyer." Asked why he was selling when catching and selling hilsa is banned, he said: "I just am. But if I see officials, I hide."
"It looks as if the drive is over"
A passenger named Rafijul said several people on the ferry were shouting "hilsa, hilsa" and selling it, and no one was stopping them, while many people were buying. "Seeing this, it looks as if the drive is over. In fact nobody wants to follow the government's rules now."
Goalanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (acting) Md Asaduzzaman said they were running regular drives to protect mother hilsa. "So far today we have carried out two drives and another is being prepared. Goalanda has the most drives."
Meanwhile, in the previous 24 hours the district and upazila administrations, fisheries officials and law enforcers ran eight drives on different stretches of the Padma in Rajbari. They seized 81kg of hilsa and 1,95,000 metres of current net, with an estimated market value of about Tk 37.80 lakh. The fish were later distributed to madrasas and the nets burnt.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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