An eight-month ban on catching jatka, young hilsa, begins at midnight on Saturday in the sea and rivers of Patuakhali. The fisheries department imposed it to raise hilsa production. It runs from Sunday 1 November until 30 June 2027.
During the ban it is an offence to catch, buy, sell, transport, exchange or store any jatka under 10 inches long. Offenders face one to two years' rigorous imprisonment, a fine of up to 500,000 taka, or both.
The district fisheries office says the district administration, fisheries office, coast guard and river police will run joint drives on the sea and rivers. Sarabangla's report notes, however, that little public awareness campaigning against jatka fishing had been seen in the district so far.
To support fishers through the ban, the government will give each of the district's 79,000 registered fishers 40 kg of rice a month for four months under the VGF programme.
The protection follows straight on from the 22-day ban that shields mother hilsa during spawning, so that the young fish hatched this season can grow and return to the rivers and sea. For fishers it means staying away from fine-mesh nets and the jatka trade until next June.
This report is based on a story by Sarabangla's Patuakhali correspondent.
Photo: hilsa (illustrative), Mamun2a / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Source: Sarabangla
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