UNB :
Experts say the Ilish production may hit 545,000 tons provided that the government take effective measures in conserving the “jatka” (juvenile Ilish).
Dr Md Anisur Rahman, Ilish researcher and chief scientific officer at the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, said, “Ilish lay eggs round the year but mother Ilish travel to rivers from the sea and lay eggs in October. So, it’s very important to ensure the uninterrupted movement of mother Ilish from the sea to rivers.”
“During the breeding period, a mother Ilish usually releases 1-1.2 million eggs and this year, the new moon on the lunar phase occurred on October 6 while the full moon appeared on October 20 which is believed to be the right time of laying eggs. So, we’re getting the results from the ban,” he said.
Dr Anisur also suggested taking steps to ensure the uninterrupted movement of mother Ilish from the sea to rivers and their safe spawning during the peak breeding season, stopping sand lifting from rivers and restricting Ilish netting during the ban period.
According to a survey, this year 51.7% of mother Ilish have laid eggs, setting a new record as it is .5% more than the previous year, he said.Ilish output Around 390 billion juvenile Ilish are expected to be found during the next season if the government can successfully preserve them, he hoped.
The government will impose an eight-month ban from November 1 on fishing jatka and there will be a campaign in this regard, officials said.
The government imposed the 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting Ilish from October 4 midnight with a view to ensuring the safe spawning of the popular fish during its peak breeding time.
The objective of the restriction on fishing from October 4 to October 25 is to save the mother Ilish as they lay eggs during the period.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ilish production jumped from 300,000 tons in FY2008-09 to 500,000 tons in FY2017-18 and its production reached 533,000 tons in 2019 thanks to the government for its various steps taken to give a boost to its output.
Over 12% of Bangladesh’s fish production comes from Ilish, posting the highest contribution to the country’s fish output as a single fish species.
Ilish, the national fish of Bangladesh, is recognized as a certified patented product of Bangladesh. The marine fish flies to rivers in Bangladesh to lay eggs. The fish is very popular both in Bangladesh and West Bengal. About 75%of the world’s Ilish is netted in Bangladesh.
Chandpur is considered one of the largest trading hubs of Ilish in Bangladesh as the fish from the Padma River is much more popular than the ones that come from other rivers because of its extremely pleasing taste.
