Finance
Hilsa Hilsa ban: Sale, fishing stopped from midnight
Dhaka, 14 October: Fishing, sale, marketing, storage and transportation of hilsa will be banned for 22 days from October 14 till November 4, during the main breeding season of the fish.
At the same time, catching all other types of fish in the waters where hilsa is available has also been banned.
'Mother-Hilsa Conservation Campaign-2020' will be conducted in 152 upazilas of 36 districts.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has taken this step to make the breeding of hilsa uninterrupted this year as every year.
The ban is set in accordance with the Fish Protection and Conservation Rules, 1985.
The ban last year was from October 9 to 30.
Violation of the ban can result in a minimum of one year to a maximum of two years rigorous imprisonment or a fine of up to five thousand rupees or both.
If the same crime is committed a second time, the punishment will be doubled.
During the ban on catching hilsa, the government provided rice to the fishermen under VGF (Vulnerable Group Feeding).
The 36 districts where the ban has been imposed are Dhaka, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Narsingdi, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Tangail, Kishoreganj, Narayanganj, Jamalpur, Chittagong, Feni, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Laxmipur. Chandpur, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Bagerhat, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Sirajganj, Pabna, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Barisal, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna and Jhalokati.
A 10-member central monitoring team has been formed with Md. Sirajur Rahman, Director of the Department of Fisheries (Internal), as the chief coordinator.
Five divisional monitoring teams have been formed and given the responsibility of monitoring different districts.
The Department of Fisheries has also opened a control room on the occasion of 'Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign-2020'.
Officers have also been appointed to perform duties in this control room for 22 days.
Besides, eight teams comprising officials of the Fisheries Department have been formed to monitor the market in the capital during the ban.
All the officers and employees of the Fisheries Department working in the divisions, districts and upazilas have already been instructed to cancel their leave and stay at work full time.
