News Flash
SANGSAD BHABAN, June 9, 2026 (BSS) - Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid today said the government is trying to provide more financial support to the fishermen during the fishing ban period round the year aiming to increase hilsa production through protecting jatka, young hilsa fish.
“The concerned fisheries and livestock ministry is planning to undertake some projects for income generation of the poor fishermen so that fishermen can reduce their dependency on fishing during the fishing ban period,” he said.
The minister said this at the JatiyaSangsad here while responding to a very urgent notice on ‘intensified crackdown and enforcing surveillance for Jatka protection and raising hilsa production’, brought by ruling party lawmaker M Sahadat Hossen (Lakshmipur-1) under section 71 of the rules of procedure.
Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed was in the chair.
He said the main target of the government is to stop jatka fishing as the poor fishermen in most of the time are compelled to catch jatka during fishing ban period due to their poverty.
Rashid said although the fishermen are not owner of necessary fishing gear and other equipment, so the ‘dadan’ system in hilsa fishing is an informal, seasonal credit arrangement where wealthy money lenders or fish traders (dadondars) provide advance cash or fishing gear to fishermen.
In return, the fishermen are legally or verbally bound to sell their entire catches exclusively to the lenders often below-market prices.
Under the initiative, the government will introduce various income generating projects including the livestock rearing as the fishermen can generate their income and reduce their dependency on the ‘dadondars’ during nationwide hilsa ban period from November 1 to June 30 at its peak breeding season.
So, catching, transporting, marketing, buying, selling, and storing of hilsa fish smaller than 25 centimeters (Jatka) have been strictly prohibited during this period.
To protect the jatka, he said the ministry of fisheries and livestock is conducting regular drive and mobile court in different districts including Chandpur and Barishal and hilsa growing different rivers including Padma and Meghna.
Even the ministry is continuing its surveillance at different fisheries arats, fish-ghats and fishing landing stations across the country aiming to stop selling and transporting of juvenile hilsas.
Under the jatka protection initiative in Chandpur and Barishal, around 2,033 drives were conducted through 163 mobile courts and seized and destroyed huge illegal fishing nets, including 1.07 lakh meters.
During the drive, Taka 19.50 lakh was realized as fines and arrested and imprisoned 213 fishermen in different terms.
In 2025-26 fiscal year, the government has provided 58,720 tonnes of food assistance (40 kg for each fishermen family) among 1.67 lakh fishermen under the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme.
While presenting the notice, the ruling party lawmaker called the government to intensify the surveillance on hilsa catching as jatka catching has been reportedly increased in Chandpur, Lakshmipur and Barishal region and the rampant jatka catching ultimately is reducing the hilsa production in the country.
