Fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter on Wednesday said that authorities received reports of Indian fishermen entering Bangladeshi waters in the Bay of Bengal during the temporary fishing ban imposed to protect hilsa breeding.
The adviser presented the report while speaking to reporters after inaugurating the annual research review workshop at the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute in Savar on the day.
鈥榃hen our fishermen are restricted from going to the river or sea during the ban, we have information that some fishermen from India are entering our waters鈥�, she said, adding that the Coast Guard was directed to take necessary actions. She emphasised that the government鈥檚 goal is to ensure hilsa conservation and sustainable fishing.
鈥榃e want our people to enjoy hilsa, and we want to make sure no one illegally catches fish in our sea鈥�, she added.
Addressing questions about the timing of the hilsa spawning period, Farida Akhter said that Bangladesh determines the ban based on lunar phases rather than fixed calendar dates.
鈥楬ilsa do not spawn according to the calendar date. They spawn based on the lunar cycle鈥攁round full moon and new moon鈥�, she said.
She noted that Bangladesh鈥檚 22-day fishing ban is calculated to begin four days before the full moon in the Bengali month of Ashwin, a period identified by researchers as crucial for hilsa breeding.
鈥楨ven if India follows a different schedule, we will not make that mistake. Our decision is based on scientific research conducted by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, with input from fishing community representatives who know the rivers and the sea well鈥�, she said.
Fisheries and Livestock secretary Abu Taher Md Zaher, director general of the Livestock Services department Md Abu Sufian, and BLRI director general Shakila Faruq were also present at the event.
