After a 22-day government ban, the Meghna and Padma rivers are set to come alive once again with the sound of boats and nets being cast, as nearly 43,000 fishermen in Chandpur prepare to resume hilsa fishing from Saturday midnight.

The annual restriction on catching, selling and transporting hilsa, aimed at protecting mother fish during the breeding season — will officially end at 12 am, allowing fishermen to return to their traditional livelihood after weeks of hardship.

According to Mirza Omar Faruk, Senior Fisheries Officer of Chandpur Sadar upazila, authorities maintained strict monitoring since the beginning of this year’s campaign.

“The district and upazila task forces were active from day one to ensure that the ban was properly enforced,” he said.

Assistant District Fisheries Officer Farhana Akter Ruma said that extensive drives were conducted across the rivers throughout the 22-day ban period to safeguard mother hilsa.

Joint forces comprising the district and upazila administrations, fisheries department, river police, coast guard and the district task force patrolled the 70-kilometre sanctuary area day and night.

During this time, 64 mobile courts were conducted — 32 in Sadar upazila, 20 in Haimchar, and 12 in Matlab North and South.

Nearly two metric tonnes of mother hilsa were seized during the drives, along with over 5.5 lakh metres of illegal fishing nets worth about Tk 1.37 crore, which were later destroyed.

In total, 77 cases were filed and 119 fishermen were jailed for violating the government ban.

Authorities also collected Tk 50,000 in fines from offenders, while the confiscated fish were distributed among orphans and the poor.

To support those affected by the ban, the government distributed 25 kilograms of rice to each unemployed fisherman as temporary relief.

Many fishermen have, however, voiced concerns that this aid was insufficient.

Talking to UNB on Saturday, fishermen including Rahim Majhi, Sakib Majhi and Omar Ali from Sadar upazila, and traders such as Sirajul Islam, Sheikh Amir Hossain, Yunus Miji and Delwar Hossain Mia from Harina Ferry Ghat, said that rice alone was not enough to sustain their families.

“The government should provide cash support along with rice,” said Rahim Majhi.

“We eat a lot of rice — 25 kilos doesn’t last long. If the money was sent to our mobile accounts, there would be no irregularities," he said.

He added that if at least Tk 3,000 per person were allocated, it would have provided some relief to the struggling fishing communities.

The government had imposed the 22-day ban on fishing in the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur from October 4 to protect mother hilsa and increase future production of the country’s national fish.

As the ban ends, excitement ripples through the riverine areas of Chandpur.

With the promise of better catches ahead, fishermen are preparing their boats and nets, hoping for a fruitful season that will reward their patience and perseverance, locals said.

FP/MI