A Correspondent :
The catching, selling, transportation and hoarding of Hilsa resumed on Thursday after a 22-day ban imposed by the Government expired. Fishermen started catching the popular fish with their rafts and nets in the Bay of Bengal.
Earlier on October 7, the government imposed a ban on catching, selling and transportation of Hilsa to ensure safe spawning of the national fish during its peak breeding period. Fishermen are taking preparations with their rafts and nets for catching fish in the Bay of Bengal and rivers adjacent to Sundarbans as an embargo on catching the popular fish is going to end tonight.
Officials at the Department of Fisheries said thousands of fishermen of the coastal districts are taking preparation to go to the Bay of Bengal to catch hilsa after the long pause that started on October 9.
The Government imposed a ban on catching, selling, hoarding andtransportation of hilsa in the Bay of Bengal and different rivers for 22 days to boost Hilsa production through protection of the mother fish during its peak breeding season. Officials at the Fisheries Department, Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard, district and upazila administrations, police and Rapid Action Battalion conducted drives to prevent Hilsa fishing during the period. Executive magistrates conducted mobile courts and punished a number of fishermen who violated the ban.
The fishermen are seen bringing their trawlers to rivers from the dockyard. They are also preparing their daily essentials to load those in the trawlers as they have to pass days in the deep sea during the fishing season, they said.
Families of over 50,000 registered fishermen in south-western districtsare busy to prepare their boats, nets and other materials to start their voyage to catch fish.
