58-day fishing ban in coastal waters begins today

A 58-day ban on fishing in Bangladesh’s maritime waters has come into effect from today (April 15), aiming to support the breeding and conservation of hilsa and other marine fish in the Bay of Bengal.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the restriction began at midnight on April 15 and will remain in force until June 11.

The fisheries department has launched awareness campaigns across coastal areas to ensure compliance with the ban.

Officials said more than 5,000 sea-going trawlers in Bhola alone will remain off the sea during the period.

Ahead of the ban, coastal fishermen returned from the sea and prepared boats for the suspension period.

While trawlers have been anchored for maintenance work, the prolonged fishing halt has raised concern among nearly two lakh fishermen in the region, many of whom depend entirely on marine fishing for their livelihoods.

Bhola district fisheries officer Md. Iqbal Hossain said out of around 1,70,000 registered fishermen in Bhola, 63,954 have been allocated Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) support, receiving 77 kilograms of rice each to cope up with the ban period.

Leaders of local fishermen’s associations have urged the government to increase food assistance and provide additional cash support during the ban period, while also calling for suspension of NGO loan repayments during this time.