The forest department has announced a three-month ban on tourism and fishing in the Sundarbans from June 1.
"These three months are the breeding season for most of the species of fish and hence the imposition of the ban in accordance with the Integrated Resources Management Plan (IRMP)," said Md Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (DFO-east) of the Sundarbans.
“The forest department has already stopped issuing entry permits to implement the ban, and vigil in the mangrove forest will also be increased,” he said.
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Usually the ban remains in force from July 1 to August 31. "But this year we are imposing the ban a month before in coordination with the Ministry of Fisheries,” the DFO said.
"This ban will help in the breeding and preservation of fish," he added.
ln the 6,017 sq km Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans, there are 210 species of white fish, 24 species of shrimp, 14 species of crabs, 43 species of Mollusca and one species of lobster.
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