Fishermen started preparation for netting hilsa as the 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting of the fish will end after midnight today.

According to fisheries department, a total of 1,042 fishermen were sentenced to jail for different terms till November 3. Besides, the mobile courts collected Tk 70.36 lakh as fine.

The mobile courts seized 73 lakh metres of nets worth Tk 16 crore and also seized 9.233 tonnes of hilsa during the ban, reports our Barishal correspondent.

Anisur Rahman, deputy director of Barisal divisional fisheries department, said mother hilsa had more favourable environment than the past year for breeding due to the successful ban.

Besides, two depressions -- with cloudy skies, torrential rain and thunderstorm -- during the period created favourable environment for laying eggs, said the officer.

"We think, we have succeeded to ensure safe spawning and protection of mother hilsa," he told our Barishal correspondent.

The officer said he thinks that over 50 percent of the fish have laid their eggs safely than last year.

Barishal fisheries officer Bimal Chandra Das said the breeding has been better this year as the weather was favourable.

The government imposed a 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting of hilsa from midnight (October 14) to protect safe spawning of the fish during its peak breeding period.