Shawdesh desk:

Fishermen are set to resume hilsa fishing as a two-month ban on catching, selling and transportation of the national fish will be ended on Sunday midnight.

The fishermen are busy now for preparing nets and boats to go to the rivers for catching hilsa fish in different parts of Bangladesh.

With a view to boost the production of hilsa, the government imposed the two-month ban on hilsa catching, selling, hoarding and transporting from March 1 till April 30.

The ban covers hilsa sanctuaries in six districts — Barishal, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Bhola, Shariatpur and Patuakhali.

The sanctuaries are 100km in the River Meghna from Chandpur’s Shatnol to Lakshmipur’s Char Alexander, 90km in Shahbazpur Channel in Bhola, 100km in River Tentulia in Bhola, 20km in Naria and Bhederganj upazilas in Chandpur district and 82km in Hizla, Mehendiganj and Barishal Sadar upazilas, Gazaria and the Meghna river.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock allocated 80kg of rice for the registered fishermen during this ban period.

Hilsa has the highest contribution in the country’s fish production as the single fish species.

Every year, the government imposes a two-month ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting hilsa to boost its production.