Seven Fishermen Detained in Three Drives to Protect Mother Hilsa in Matlab

Seven fishermen have been detained in drives conducted to protect mother hilsa in Matlab. The fishermen were detained across a total of three separate drives, it has been learned.

During the hilsa breeding season, a ban on fishing in rivers is imposed for a specified period every year to protect mother hilsa. It is to enforce that ban that successive drives have been carried out in the waters of Matlab this time, with operations conducted in three phases.

This programme to protect mother hilsa is known as one of the foundations of Bangladesh's success in hilsa production. If the fish get the chance to release eggs during the breeding season, hilsa stocks in the rivers grow, and the benefit returns in later seasons in the fishermen's own nets.

The ban period is, however, economically hard for fishing families. Not being able to go out on the river means their path of income stays closed. Even amid this reality, some take the risk of defying the ban and going out to fish — and detentions during drives usually happen in that context.

A total of seven fishermen were detained across the three drives. The fact that the operations were held in phases shows that the activity did not stop with a single drive; efforts are continuing to maintain surveillance throughout the period the ban remains in force.

Drives to protect mother hilsa usually involve law enforcement agencies and the local administration alongside the fisheries department. Because surveillance across a vast stretch of river is difficult for any single office, this joint activity becomes necessary.

What legal process will follow for the detained fishermen is not yet known. Fisheries law provides for fines, imprisonment or both for fishing in defiance of the ban; which measure is taken in a given case depends on the nature of the allegation and the process.

Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh and one of the main assets of the country's fisheries economy. A large share of the world's total hilsa production comes from Bangladesh's rivers. It is to sustain that resource that the mother hilsa protection programme is given such importance.

Many concerned believe that alongside enforcing the ban, alternative income and food assistance for fishermen are also important for the conservation effort to bear fruit. Experience mentioned at various times suggests that when assistance reaches them, the tendency to obey the ban also increases.

This drive in Matlab has shown once again that field-level activity to protect mother hilsa is continuing. Attention is now on how effective this surveillance remains for the rest of the ban period and what decision is taken regarding the detained fishermen.