DHAKA,  – The government has imposed a ban on hilsa catching, selling, transporting and hoarding for the next 22 days from midnight tonight to protect mother hilsa for ensuring safe breeding.

The restriction will remain effective from October 4 to October 25. On this issue, a view exchanging meeting was held in the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock today with Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Raunak Mahmud in the chair, a press release said.

It was said in the meeting that a combined special drive will be launched by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock from midnight today to protect mother hilsa during the main breeding season this year.

Special operations will be conducted in 38 districts of the country till October 25. District and Upazila Administration, Local Fisheries Department, Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP will jointly conduct the operation. During the implementation of the drive, all types of fishing including hilsa will be stopped in rivers, estuaries and seas of 20 districts.

Those districts are: Dhaka, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Barishal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalokati, Chandpur, Laxmipur, Feni, Noakhali, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Bagerhat. The catching of hilsa is also restricted in the rivers of other 18 districts including Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Tangail, Gazipur, Jamalpur, Rajshahi, Natore, Bogura, Sirajganj, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Brahmanbaria, Khulna, Kushtia and Narail.

Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Shyamal Chandra Karmakar, Md Taufiqul Arif and SM Ferdous Alam, Joint Secretary Subodh Chandra, Director General of Fisheries Department Kazi Shams Afroz and River Police Additional DIG Shafiqul Islam attended the meeting, among others.