Why catching hilsa fish is banned in Bangladesh for 22 days in 2026?
Hilsa a GI product of Bangladesh from 2017 will not be allowed to catch form October 8 to 29 for 22 days nationwide to create a welcoming environment for mother hilsa fish that migrates from the sea to rivers to spawn.
Unfortunately, the situation of rivers are not welcoming for hilsa as several power plants are the threat like Payra Thermal Power Plant, Patuakhali Thermal Power Plant, Barishal Coal-Fired Power Plant.
The major breeding grounds include Barishal, Chandpur and Bhola which will be monitored strictly. The Bangladesh Coast Guard and the fisheries department will work together to implement the declared ban of not catching hilsa fish.
The question will be about the situation of the fishermans involved in fishing as their livelihood. For this the government will provide VGF food assistance to fishermen during the banning time period.
One of the hindrances of hilsa production, the several power plants has mentioned already. The other hindrances are water pollution, siltation of rivers and overfishing. The 80% hilsa producer Bangladesh produced five lakh tonnes in the fiscal year 2024-25 that is decreasing 5.5% year-on-year. Whereas 7 lakh fishermen are involved in hilsa fishing.