The government has decided to form ‘Hilsha Development Trust Fund’ for sustainable production of this popular national fish.
“The overall production of the Hilsha has now rised to 3,85,000 tonnes and necessary programmes will be taken to raise the production of the hilsha further”, said the minister.
The minister said this as the chief guest while he was addressing a press conference on the occasion of the National Fisheries Week begins countrywide from Tuesday, at the Matshya Bhaban here this morning.
The national fisheries week is being observed with a theme – “Sagar Nadi Sakal Jole, Match Chashe Sona Foley.”
The main objective of the week which will be continued till August 3 is to make the country’s economy more stronger by exploiting the enormous possibilities of fisheries development. The week would help make the nation more conscious and coordinated in building the Sonar Bangla dreamt by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
As the lawful rights have been established in the country’s maritime boundaries, the minister said besides, raising production of hilsha, the government has taken an initiative to introduce long-liner commercial fishing trawler for catching the tuna fishes from the deep sea.
For preserving and sustainable breeding of marine fisheries, the government has imposed ban on catching of all types of fishes by the commercial trawlers at the blue economic zone of the Bay of Bengal for the first time in 2015 for a duration of 65 days from May 20 to July 23 last, the minister told the press conference.
Representatives from different organizations, high officials from the ministry concerned and fisheries department including Fisheries and livestock Secretary Selina Afroza and Director-General of the Department of Fisheries Syed Arif Azad, among others, were present.
Talking about various welfare programmes undertaken by the government, Sayedul Haque said the government has distributed a grant of Taka 1.19 crore in the last three years among 247 fishermen families who had been killed in the sea due to natural disaster.
For welfare of the fishermen, the government already distributed identity cards among five lakh fishermen across the country while more than 15 lakh fishermen also will get their identity cards by the end of this year under a development project which has been taken by the Department of Fisheries.
