Ban on hilsa fishing turns into a hoax

SINCE October 12, a ban has been in force on hilsa fishing for the sake of safe breeding of the fish.

To increase hilsa fish production annually is the goal of this ban.

But this is only on paper, as in different rivers of Barishal division, the loved fish is being caught openly.

Despite the ban, the mother hilsas are being sold in open markets on the banks of the rivers.

The fishermen themselves said that they got a ‘pass’ to catch hilsa by paying money to the local administration officials.

This is preposterous. It has been reported that the ruling party is acting as a medium between the fishermen and government officials in this illegal act.

Even during this ban, at night, thousands of fishing boats descend on the river with these ‘passes’. It has been also alleged that as the administration gets its share of hilsa, it remains as a silent spectator.

Sometimes, for a show the authorities conduct raids playing loud sirens and send fishermen to jail and slapping fines. But this monitoring is not total.

According to a vernacular daily, hilsa fishing is going on freely in at least five points in Hijla upazila and neighbouring Mehendiganj with involvement of local Awami League leaders.

Quoting several fishermen the daily said the local government officials had given them ‘passes’ for fishing during prohibited times by placing their ‘agents’ at the ghats to collect money from them.

Not only the local fishermen, it was also reported that Indian fishermen enter Bangladesh waters and catch hilsa.

Now if the ban cannot be enforced strictly what is the point of declaring a ban in the first place? If mother hilsas are caught randomly, the purpose of banning fishing will be meaningless.

In the past years, overall hilsa production has increased because of the introduction of ban.

The annual hilsa production will certainly be more if the ban is implemented to its full.