Photo: ISPR

DHAKA, Oct 4, 2025 (BSS) – Like the previous years, a 22-day Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign-2025 began today when harvesting, transportation, storage, purchase, sale and exchange of Hilsa will be completely prohibited.

In addition, harvesting of all species of fish, including Hilsa, by all types of fishing vessels in the marine fishing areas has been banned. 

The Bangladesh Navy is deployed in the sea, rivers and coastal areas to implement this directive announced by the government, said an ISPR release here today.

Under the “In Aid to Civil Power”, ships of the Bangladesh Navy are carrying out the Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign-2025 in the sea and coastal areas and in the inland waters of the country. Seventeen warships of the Navy are deployed in 9 districts. 

As part of this campaign, BNS Dhansiri/Shaheed Farid and BNDB Gangchil are patrolling in the Chandpur area; BNS Atandra, Shaheed Mohibullah, Durjoy, Sagar and Shaheed Daulat in the Cox's Bazar area; BNS Meghna, Chitra/Titas in the Khulna area; BNS Karatoya, Abu Bakar/Durgam in the Bagerhat area; BNS Salam and Kushiyara in the Pirojpur and Barguna areas; BNS Padma, Chitra/Titas in the Barisal area and LCVP-013 in the Patuakhali area. 

Round-the-clock surveillance is being carried out by the Navy's warships and state-of-art maritime patrol aircraft to prevent intrusion of all types of domestic and foreign fishermen in the deep sea.

 Ships, crafts and boats of the Bangladesh Navy Fleet are deployed in the main breeding areas of Hilsa.

They will work closely with the local administration, armed forces, coast guard, naval police and fisheries authorities to prevent illegal hilsa harvesting and the intrusion of foreign fishing trawlers. 

During the campaign, strict law will be enforced against the unscrupulous individuals and mechanical fishing vessels engaged in hilsa harvesting during the banned period and to increase public awareness.

Navy personnel are always dedicated to protecting the breeding grounds of hilsa fish, creating opportunities for free reproduction, and ensuring proper conservation of mother hilsa as a national economic asset, the ISPR release said.

 Bangladesh Navy is working relentlessly to increase the abundance of national fish hilsa and enrich fishery resources by ensuring a safe breeding environment for hilsa in the country's maritime borders and inland waters, it added.