The inauguration ceremony of National Fisheries Week was held this afternoon at the Darbar Hall of the District Commissioner's Officer in Patuakhali.

Being in the vicinity of the Bay of Bengal, alongside having numerous rivers, canals and other waterbodies crisscrossing across Patuakhali, the district is one of the biggest fisheries hubs in the country, producing an array of fish species including the much-coveted hilsa, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Presiding over the event, Kamrul Hasan, district fisheries officer in Patuakhali, informed that the district produced 1.29 lakh tonnes of fish of different varieties against a demand of 39,386 tonnes in 2022-2023 fiscal year. Of the total harvest, 33,289 tonnes were from rivers, 55,456 tonnes from the sea, 26,264 tonnes from ponds, and 10,660 tonnes from other waterbodies, he said.

"Bangladesh ranks first among 11 countries in the world in hilsa production, with 86 percent of the world's hilsa being produced in Bangladesh. At least one-fourth of the hilsa produced in the country are from Patuakhali," he also said.

"At present, Patuakhali has 78,928 registered fishermen. Through the Hilsa Resource Development and Management Project, fishing nets and other equipment are being distributed among the fishermen alongside necessary trainings," the official added.

Addressing the event as chief guest, Noor Qutubul Alam, deputy commissioner of Patuakhali, said, "We have to be more careful to protect our marine resources, especially fishermen need to be more aware to protect mother-hilsa."

"It must be ensured that the fishermen get proper government support during the ban on catching hilsa. Any irregularity to this end will be dealt with strictly," he added

Government officials from different departments, journalists, fishermen, and hatchery owners attended the event among others.