Protecting hilsa

The fisheries department, should take tough actions with the people out to destroy fish resources

At least 15 fishermen were fined and sentenced on Sunday by mobile courts of Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur and Patharghata upazila of Barguna for catching hilsa defying a government ban. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday, in Lakshmipur, a mobile court awarded nine fishermen one month jails for each at Ramgati upazila for catching hilsa in the Meghna River and in Barguna, a mobile court on Sunday sentenced five fishermen to two years’ imprisonment and fined another Tk 5,000 for catching hilsa defying government ban. The government has imposed a 22-day ban on catching, selling, transportation and hoarding of hilsa from 1 October to 22 October.

Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh and the people of the country can take pride of it. Who can resist the temptation of mouth-watering cooked hilsa?  It is heartening to note that the country has achieved remarkable success in fish production in recent times by undertaking various fish-friendly programmes and technical training of fishermen and entrepreneurs.   Fish meets the requirement for protein in human body. Crisscrossed by scores of rivers, marshes and canals, the country produces substantial amount of fishes every year. Apart from natural breeding of fishes in different water bodies, fishes are grown by undertaking pisciculture projects.

 It is worrying to note that some unscrupulous fishermen and others, motivated by personal gains, are involved in activities detrimental to fish production. These people catch fishes including hilsa during the spawning period. Lax vigilance of the members of law enforcement agencies is greatly responsible for this. Besides, there is a lack of awareness among these errant people. Drive against these unscrupulous people or launching of mobile courts once in a blue moon will not serve the purpose. What is needed is all time vigilance.  The government, particularly the fisheries ministry and the fisheries department, should be tough with the people out to destroy the fish resources.            

On the other hand, many ponds and water bodies are lying unutilized throughout the country. Those should be brought under fish cultivation. Provision of bank loans on easy terms and conditions and adequate training to the fish culturists, particularly jobless youths, can give impetus in this regard. Poisoning of valuable fish in ponds and other water bodies makes newspaper headlines sometimes. Some criminal elements are the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. These elements should be identified and punished. There is no alternative to boosting fish production further.

Protecting hilsa

The fisheries department, should take tough actions with the people out to destroy fish resources

At least 15 fishermen were fined and sentenced on Sunday by mobile courts of Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur and Patharghata upazila of Barguna for catching hilsa defying a government ban. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday, in Lakshmipur, a mobile court awarded nine fishermen one month jails for each at Ramgati upazila for catching hilsa in the Meghna River and in Barguna, a mobile court on Sunday sentenced five fishermen to two years imprisonment and fined another Tk 5,000 for catching hilsa defying government ban. The government has imposed a 22-day ban on catching, selling, transportation and hoarding of hilsa from 1 October to 22 October. Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh and the people of the country can take pride of it. Who can resist the temptation of mouth-watering cooked hilsa? It is heartening to note that the country has achieved remarkable success in fish production in recent times by undertaking various fish-friendly programmes and technical training of fishermen and entrepreneurs. Fish meets the requirement for protein in human body. Crisscrossed by scores of rivers, marshes and canals, the country produces substantial amount of fishes every year. Apart from natural breeding of fishes in different water bodies, fishes are grown by undertaking pisciculture projects. It is worrying to note that some unscrupulous fishermen and others, motivated by personal gains, are involved in activities detrimental to fish production. These people catch fishes including hilsa during the spawning period. Lax vigilance of the members of law enforcement agencies is greatly responsible for this. Besides, there is a lack of awareness among these errant people. Drive against these unscrupulous people or launching of mobile courts once in a blue moon will not serve the purpose. What is needed is all time vigilance. The government, particularly the fisheries ministry and the fisheries department, should be tough with the people out to destroy the fish resources. On the other hand, many ponds and water bodies are lying unutilized throughout the country. Those should be brought under fish cultivation. Provision of bank loans on easy terms and conditions and adequate training to the fish culturists, particularly jobless youths, can give impetus in this regard. Poisoning of valuable fish in ponds and other water bodies makes newspaper headlines sometimes. Some criminal elements are the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. These elements should be identified and punished. There is no alternative to boosting fish production further.