Barisal Correspondent :
Teams of fishery department Coast Guard operating drives on Meghna, Arialkha, Kirtankhola at different areas of Barisal district on Wednesday seized 220 mounds ‘Jatka’ (hilsa fry less than 10 inch or 26 centimeters in length) and 2 million meters thickly knitted banned fishing nets worth millions of taka.
Bimal Chandra Das, district fishery officer (hilsa) and Mojibor Rahman, Petty Officer Coast Guard, said searching different trawlers and MV Dhanshiri launch of Borhanuddin-Barisal route and operating drive from Beltala to Shaheber Hut areas on Kirtankhola River Thursday morning seized 20 maunds Jataka.
The seized Jatka later distributed to different orphanages of the city by the order of administrative magistrate Rubel Mahmud.
Mehendiganj police station in charge Riaz Hossain said a Coast Guard team led by Lt. Com Mohiuddin operating drives at different points of Meghna and Arialkha rivers from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm Thursday seized about 20 lakhs meters thickly knitted banned current-nets worth Tk. 11 core.
The nets preserved under the police custody at Ulania Bandar of the upazila for burning, the police officer informed.
Lt.Com Mohiuddin, Coast Guard officer of Mehendiganj contingent, said CG teams operating drives at Mehendiganj river port and surrounding areas and searching Dhaka bound launches MV Tipu and MV Farzana seized 200 mounds Jatka on early Wednesday.
The sized Jatka was handed over to Mehendiganj upazila assistant fishery officer Anwarul Huq Babul and later by order of Shahidul Islam local UNO, distributed among the orphanages and madrasas of the area, the CG official told.
However none was arrested fined or convicted in connection of seizing and fishing Jake and banned nets, police, fishery and CG officials told.
The action was taken for violating eight-month country- wide ban enforced from November 1 to June 30 instead of November 1 to May 31 against netting, transportation and marketing ‘Jatka’ (hilsa fry less than 10 inch or 26 centimeters in length ), said AKM Aminul Islam, deputy director and divisional fishery officer told.
Yearly around 1.5 crore mother hilsa safely and naturally laid 46,800 kg of eggs and if half of the laid eggs can become embryo, 29.93 crores of hilsa renu (pollen) will be made and if 10 percent of the pollen survives, 2.93 crore Jatka (fry) could be produced, said Bimal Chandra Das, fishery officer (Hilsa) of Barisal district fishery office.
Hilsa fries develop 2–2.5 centimeters in length per month and started move towards sea after reaching 15–17 centimeters in length and starts return journey to sweet water rivers after becomes 25-28 centimeters in length with 300-450 grams weights for laying eggs, he added.
If only 10-20 percent of the ‘Jatka’ can get the chance to reach maturity, then around 2 lakh tonnes of hilsa worth hundreds of cores of taka could be get extra every year, said Bankim Chandra Mandal, assistant director Barisal divisional fishery office.
