The wait for hilsa is ending. Buyers expect the king of fish to appear in markets from Tuesday (26 October), and fishers are hopeful of a good catch.

To increase hilsa production and let the fish spawn in the main breeding season, hilsa fishing was halted across the country for 22 days, from 4 to 25 October. The ban ends at midnight today, Monday (25 October).

Fishers who catch hilsa at sea and in local rivers will set out in their trawlers after 12 midnight, and they have already finished all their preparations.

A press release signed by Md Iftekhar Hossain, public relations officer of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, announced on 22 September that hilsa fishing would be closed nationwide for 22 days from 4 to 25 October 2021. During that time catching, marketing, buying, selling, transporting, storing and exchanging hilsa was banned across the country.

Fishers said they respected the government ban on hilsa fishing at sea and in rivers to keep the breeding of mother hilsa safe and did not fish illegally. They hope to find plenty of large hilsa this time.

Source: Banglanews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.