Mother Hilsa being caught defying the ban

Staff Correspondent, Sirajgonj :

Random mother hilsa catching continued in different rivers in the coastal areas, defying a government ban on its catching during the peak breeding season.

To help mother hilsas to lay eggs in a disturbed free environment, the fisheries department earlier issued the ban for 15 days.

Visiting the buragourango River adjacent to Galachips Upazila town yesterday noon,” this correspondent saw over 20 fishing trawlers engaged in mother hilsa catching."

“I heard about the ban but have no alternative as I have to maintain a six member family,” said Chan Mia, a fisher man of char Chandrail village under Galachipa upazila.

Contracted, the district fisheries said, “Mother hilsa catching is currently prohibited in all rivers in the coestal areas. We have organized meeting and boat rallies to motivate fisherman to obey the government order.”

“With the help of police, coastguard and navy, we have arranged patrol in the coastal belt in spite of man power shortage. We seized 12 pounds of hilsa at tollgate on Patuakhali-Barisal route on Friday,” he said.

However, the local people say that the seizure was merely eyewash as indiscriminate catching of mother hilsa is continuing.

Higher authorities have taken a rehabilitation programme, to be started by January next year, to arrange alternative income generating activities for the fishermen, the fisheries officer added.