The production of Hilsa has increased more than two and a half times over the last 15 years thanks to various initiatives taken by the government.
Temporary ban on fishing during breeding season, livelihood support for the fishermen, creation of Hilsa sanctuaries and stopping the netting of jatka help boost production of Hilsa, experts say.
As a result, the Hilsa production increased from 1,99,032 tonnes in 2002-2003 to 5,17,000 tonnes in 2017-18.
In 2002-2003 fiscal, the hilsa production was 199,032 tonnes (MTs) whereas the production has reached 517,000 MT in current fiscal, the State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru said this while speaking at the national parliament.
According to government information, the hilsa production was 3,51,000 tonnes in FY 2012-13, 3,85,000 tonnes in FY 2013-14, 3,87000 tonnes in FY 2014-15, 3,95,000 tonnes in FY 2015-16, 4,96,00 tonnes in FY 2016-17, and 5,17,000 tonnes in FY 2017-18.
The Minister also said at the national parliament on June 18 that the hilsa production has reached to five lakh and 17 thousand tons in the current fiscal
Mentioning various initiatives taken by the current government to boost the production, the Minister said that the hilsa production will reach 5.5 lakh metric tons next year and it will cross 5.5 lakh tons next five years.
Aiming to conserve the country’s national fish supply and increase its production, the government has declared 432 km, of hilsa habitat across six river zones as sanctuaries.
The sanctuaries are: a 100 km strip of the Meghna River—from Shatnol to Char Alexandar; a 90 km strip of the Shahbazpur Channel at the Meghna estuary in Bhola district; a 100 km strip of the Tentulia River in Bhola district; a 40 km stripe in Andharmanik River in Patuakhali district; a 20 km strip at the lower Padma (Padma Confluence) in Shariatpur district; and an 82 km strip of the Meghna River (from Hizla to Mehendiganj) in Barisal district.
When asked, Chief Scientific Officer of Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute, Dr Anisur Rahman told Bangladesh Post, “The rise of Hilsa production has been possible due to the government’s protection measures. A large number of Hilsa is being netted this year compared to the previous years as a result of successful creation of sanctuaries and stopping the netting of juvenile hilsa better known as jatka.”
Dr Anisur, also a Hilsa researcher, said that more Hilsa could come to this region from the Bay of Bengal as there was plenty of rain and the tide in the river was strong.
According to the Department of Fisheries, Hilsa alone contributes to more than 12 percent of the country’s total fish production. The economic value of the contribution is around 1 percent of country’s GDP.
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, “The government has allocated 40 kgs of rice to each fisherman family during the ban on fishing.”
Around half a million fishermen are directly involved in Hilsa catching in Bangladesh. The livelihood of an additional two million people is indirectly involved with this fish.
