Banning nets for Hilsa fishing

THE government has already imposed a ban on nets to catch Hilsa fish and rightly so. Now is the most valuable time for Hilsa as at this time of the year the fish size is small. These small fish will eventually grow in size and breed fries. If our fishermen catch those, we shall lose a large volume of Hilsa fish in the process.
It may be recalled that in the past few years, these nets were burnt in front of the offenders and they were taken to task. Incidents of catching hilsa fish illegally are regularly covered by the print and electronic media. It is therefore imperative that all such nets were taken away from fishermen and shops selling these nets brought under law in order to prevent others from procuring the same. The authorities concerned must take stern action in this regard immediately to stop catching of hilsa in the breeding period.

Sumon Kumar Paul
Graduate in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Patuakhali Science & Technology University
[email protected]