Chandpur:Around 42,000 fishermen in Chandpur have returned to the Meghna and Padma rivers to resume hilsa fishing following the end of a 22-day government-imposed ban designed to protect mother hilsa during the breeding season.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the ban on catching, selling, and transporting hilsa officially concluded at 1159 p.m. on Thursday, allowing fishermen to return to their livelihoods after enduring weeks of economic hardship. District Fisheries Officer Fakhrul Islam noted that the authorities maintained strict monitoring throughout the ban period.
Joint forces, including the district and upazila administrations, Fisheries Department, river police, Bangladesh Coast Guard, and district task force, patrolled the 70-kilometer sanctuary area continuously. These efforts led to the seizure of approximately 2.75 tonnes of egg-bearing hilsa and fishing nets valued at Tk 2.71 crore, which were subsequently destroyed. A total of 161 cases were filed, and mobile courts collected fines amounting to approximately Tk 4 crore for ban violations.
Furthermore, 183 fishermen from Chandpur Sadar, Matlab Uttar, and Haimchar were detained for catching mother hilsa during the ban and faced imprisonment and/or fines. To mitigate the impact of the ban, the government distributed 25 kg of rice to each unemployed fisherman as temporary relief, though many expressed that this assistance was inadequate for sustaining their families.
Fishermen from various areas, including Saformali, Lalpur, Anandabazar, and Harina Ferry Ghat, voiced their concerns, stating that rice was insufficient and demanded cash assistance alongside it. They highlighted the financial strain of taking on debt to meet daily expenses and expressed worry about repaying these loans, suggesting that a cash allocation of Tk 3,000 per person would have provided more significant relief.
The government initiated the 22-day fishing ban in the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur from October 8 to protect mother hilsa and enhance future production of the national fish.