Directorate of Fishery operating a drive with the help of Naval Forces seized and burnt 54 thousand meters net in Anti-Jatka netting drives on Tentulia River on Thursday.
Bimal Chandra Das, District Fishery Officer said, a drive jointly led by him and Sarwat Hossain, commanding officer of naval ship BNS Testa operating drives at Char Gora, Laharhut, Sreepur, Patarhut, Dhulia, areas on Tentulia River seized those nets.
The seized nets worth Tk11 lakhs burnt in presence of law enforcers and fishery officials at Hamza Ghat in Barisal on Thursday afternoon, the fishery officer told.
The drive was operated under the two-moth restrictions started from March 1 to prevent netting of fish fries including Hilsa fries (Jatka).
The prohibition effecting from March 1 to April 30 introduced for preventing fishermen from catching fish fry, including jatka (hilsa fry), and aiming to give a boost for increasing fishing wealth, said Dr. Aminul Islam, divisional fishery officer.
Hilsa resources because Hilsa fries (Jatka) 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.
So if only10-20 percent of Jatka could be saved from catching, then hilsa resources around 2 lakh tons worth hundreds cores of taka could be increased every year, said fishery directorate officials.
The affected fishermen opined that drive against netting Jatka could not be successful without representation of grass root level fishermen in implementation of the government policy and without helping the marginal fishermen by giving subsidy, alternative job facilities during ban of fishing on open water sources.
