Looking for hilsa? No worries it is coming back!    Fishermen are taking preparations to resume hilsa netting as a 22-day ban imposed by the government comes to an end Monday midnight. Besides catching, the ban was imposed on selling, hoarding and transporting the fish until October 25 to ensure safe spawning of the national fish during its peak breeding period. The law enforcers seized huge mother hilsa and fishing nets, trawlers in different parts of the country for catching hilsa defying the ban. Read: Fishing trawler hits UNO’s speedboat during Hilsa ban drive in Barishal Fisheries Department, upazila and district administrations, police and coast guard personnel carried out regular drives to make sure that the ban is implemented strictly. The decision of imposing the ban was taken at a meeting of the National Taskforce held in September with Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim in the chair. During the meeting, the minister said the government will take strict action against those involved in harming the national interest of the country. The objective of the restriction is to save mother hilsa which lays eggs during the period. The peak hilsa season is during the Monsoon months of August, September and October. Read: Kitchen markets in Dhaka take the heat from 22-day Hilsa ban According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, hilsa production jumped from 3 lakh mts in 2008-09 to 5 lakh mts in 2017-18.  In 2019, hilsa production rose to 5.33 lakh mts. The ministry has taken different measures to boost its production to 6 lakh mts in the current fiscal. Hilsa has the highest contribution to the country’s fish production as the single fish species. More than 12.0 per cent of the country’s fish production comes from hilsa.

The Bangladesh government has imposed a 22-day ban on hilsa fishing, with effect from October 4. Besides catching, the ban will be enforced on selling and transporting Hilsa to ensure the safe spawning of the popular fish during its peak breeding period. The ban will remain in place till October 25. Read: Durga Puja: 23 tonnes of Hilsa sent to India through Benapole The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Task Force held on Wednesday, with Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim in the chair, the government said in a release. During the meeting, the Minister said that the government would take strict action against those "involved in harming the national interest of the country". He also urged people to make the ban a success. The objective of the restrictions on fishing from October 4 to October 25 is to save the mother hilsa which lays eggs during the period. Read: Govt to consult experts to boost Hilsa production: Dipu Moni At the meeting, the Minister also urged all, including fishermen and their associations, to help make the countrywide programme a success.