A UN treaty to protect marine biodiversity in international waters came into force on Saturday, 17 January, setting a legally binding framework to tackle threats including overfishing.
Rough weather has kept fishermen from the sea since the fishing ban ended, driving them into debt while hilsa prices stay high.
Fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter said the country will no longer stay poor if its natural and marine resources are used properly, speaking at the close of USAID's Ecofish-2 project.
Fishermen and traders at Alipur-Mohipur in Patuakhali say the 65-day sea fishing ban and repeated bad weather have trapped them in debt and want the ban lifted.
Fishermen from 29 fishing villages in Mirsarai are catching few hilsa after the 65-day sea fishing ban and are struggling with debt.
The 65-day ban on sea fishing ended at midnight on 23 July, but rough seas and the nationwide curfew have left deep-sea fishermen on the Patuakhali coast waiting on shore.
Researchers warn that almost two-thirds of hundreds of deep-sea mollusc species are at risk of extinction as seabed mining expands.
