Shawdesh desk:

A 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting Hilsa will come into effect from Tuesday midnight with a view to boosting its production by ensuring safe breeding through protection of mother Hilsa.

The ban will remain effective until November 4.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Monday said no one will be allowed to catch mother Hilsa during the period.

“No boat will be allowed to ply spots in the river where mother Hilsas roam. Members of Navy and the Coast Guard’s special monitoring team will work to prevent catching of Hilsa,” he said at a press briefing on the implementation of ‘mother Hilsa conservation drive-2020’ at the ministry.

Hilsa has the highest contribution in the country’s fish production, the government says. It contributes to more than 12.09 percent to the country’s fish production.

In 2017-18, Hilsa production was 5.17 lakh MT, which had an estimated value of around Tk 20,680 crore.

This year, the authorities concerned set a target to produce 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of Hilsa.

During the ban, the government has taken steps to distribute 20kg rice per day to each of the 5.70 lakh families of the affected fishermen in the country.

Earlier, the two-month government ban on catching, selling and transporting of Hilsa began on March 1 and continued till May 1.