22-day hilsa fishing ban begins 8 Oct
The government has imposed a 22-day nationwide ban on hilsa fishing from 8 to 29 October to ensure the safe spawning of the national fish during its peak breeding season.
The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting of the National Task Force Committee on Hilsa Resource Development at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, held to review preparations for the “Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign 2026”.
During the ban, the transportation, storage, marketing, purchase, sale and exchange of hilsa will also remain prohibited across the country.
Fishermen who refrain from fishing during the restriction period will receive VGF food assistance, while authorities will conduct special drives to protect mother hilsa and prevent illegal fishing.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said there would be no concessions in protecting mother hilsa and instructed authorities to strengthen surveillance in major spawning grounds, particularly Barishal, Chandpur and Bhola.
He directed district administrations, Naval Police, the Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries to coordinate closely to enforce the ban. Additional boats and logistical support will be deployed at key hotspots if necessary.
The minister also ordered increased monitoring at ice factories, fish landing centres and markets to prevent the sale and distribution of illegally caught hilsa. Authorities were instructed to remove illegal fishing nets from breeding grounds, including the Chandpur confluence.
State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku stressed the need for research to determine the reasons behind the decline in hilsa production and called for stronger action against the manufacture and sale of illegal fishing nets.
He said the government was providing incentives to fishermen during the ban and would strengthen monitoring to ensure the assistance reaches genuine beneficiaries.
“The decline in hilsa production to the point where we have to import fish from abroad is a matter of concern,” Tuku said, calling for a coordinated action plan to protect hilsa as a national resource and GI product and increase production.
