Illegal fishing may spell doom for hilsha

The kitchen market is flooded with Jatka (hilsa fry), apparently caught using a banned type of fishing net known as 'current net' or the monofilament fishing net. Environmentalists and knowledgeable people in fisheries think that the widespread use of these nets is leading to the extinction of freshwater and marine fish, as they prevent even small fry from escaping.
Due to the widespread use of this illegal fishing net, hilsha production is being severely hampered. Production, transportation, marketing, storage, and use of current nets have been prohibited by law. According to the section 4(1) of the Fish Protection and Conservation Act, no person shall manufacture, weave, import, market, store, carry, own, or use such nets. However, this law exists only on paper and has never been seriously implemented.
If the law is implemented in its letter and spirit, hilsha and other stocks of fish can be saved.

Md Mahatab Uddin,
Student
Barisal University