Govt names 2nd spawning ground of hilsa

The government has announced the second spawning ground of hilsa and placed a ban on catching the fish during its peak spawning period in an effort to increase production, according to a notification by the fisheries and livestock ministry.

The new spawning ground covers 342.5 square kilometres having three different points of rivers, mainly the Boleshwar river in Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna and Patuakhali districts.

The upper part of the breeding ground consists of Bogi Bandar of Sarankhola upazila at Bagerhat and Bhaijora adjacent to Sapleja of Mathbaria upazila in Pirojpur.

The middle part of the breeding ground consists of Supati (Coast Guard Station) of Sarankhola at Bagerhat and Ruhita of Patharghata at Barguna.

And the lower part of the spawning ground is the point adjacent to Pokkhir char of Sarankhola in Bagerhat; Lebur Bagan of Latachapali union of Kalapara, Patuakhali, said the notification published yesterday.

A senior official of the fisheries ministry said hilsa fish migrate from the sea through the Boleshwar river that passes through these districts. This is why the area has been declared as a spawning ground to increase production of the fish.

The government earlier declared a hilsa spawning ground covering nearly 7,000 square kilometres involving Mayani point of Mirsharai in Chattogram, Paschim Syed Awlia point in Bhola, and the north Kutubdia, Cox's Bazar and Lata Chapati point at Kalapara in Patuakhali.

Accordingly, in order to increase production of the fish, the government usually bans hilsa catching for 22 days during the peak spawning period in October.

In its notification, the fisheries ministry said it would remain open for receiving opinions or objections from any person within two months of the notification.

Hilsa production, which has been growing gradually over the years, rose slightly to 5.66 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2021-22 from 5.65 lakh tonnes the previous year, according to an estimate by the Department of Fisheries.