The 22-day ban on catching and selling hilsa is set to start from October 14 and will continue to November 4 in a bid to protect mother fish during peak breeding season.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock came up with the announcement on Wednesday through issuing a press release.
During this period, hilsha catching, marketing, selling, transportation, storage, exchange and all activities relating to catching hilsha fish will come under a total ban, reads the press release.
The government has been imposing bans, since 2003, on catching hilsa during the spawning period to boost production. The ban is imposed under the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950.
Violation of this imposed ban may result in one to two years of imprisonment and a maximum fine of Tk5,000 or both.
The government normally provides adequate food assistance to fisherfolk who cannot collect or sell hilsa during the ban so that no one involved in this process faces a food crisis.
A large-sized mother hilsa may produce up to two million spawn. Hilsas have a major spawning season during September-October.
According to The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), in 2020-2021 Fiscal Year hilsa production stood at 5.5 lakh tones.
