POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Oct 22, 2025 : The killing of ‘Mother Hilsha’ fish in the Padma River of Bangladesh is not stopping. The 22-day strict campaign began on October 4 and will end on October 25. Despite incentives, fishermen involved in killing Mother Hilsha are being arrested every day in the rivers and on land of central and south Bengal. Although this campaign has been made several times stricter than in previous years, they are repeatedly involved in attacks and clashes with the expedition team in the riverine districts of Bangladesh to protect “Mother Hilsha”. In these incidents, numerous fishermen, including members of the Fisheries Department, Upazila administration, and Coast Guard members, have already been injured.
Hilsha is a delicious fish that is very popular with Bengalis on both sides of the Bengal. It is a Bengali custom to satisfy the groom by offering hilsa during the Puja festival and at weddings. The amount of hilsha sent from Bangladesh to India every year during Puja has been decreasing, because one reason is the killing of pregnant mother hilsa, which is killing the generation of hilsha. Consumer demand is increasing gradually, but the supply of hilsha is decreasing day by day.
Fishermen are monopolizing the hilsa sanctuary along the 312 km of Tentulia, Meghna, Andarmanik, Kalabadar and Gazaria rivers in the Barisal region. The Fisheries Department, administration and law enforcement agencies are struggling in those areas while conducting operations to protect the mother hilsha.
Why is it so aggressive? The investigation reveals that fishermen have become unemployed due to the ban on fishing and are unable to repay loans to NGOs or moneylenders. They are forced to fish at risk to pay off their debts and meet family expenses. In addition, due to climate change, where the breeding season of mother Hilsha used to be in September-October, it has now been slightly delayed. Many fishermen say that Hilsha is now laying eggs in late October or early November. Due to this changed situation, fishing continues even during the ban. It cannot be said that this situation did not happen at all in the past years, but it has decreased.
The investigation says that if fishing is stopped, there is no alternative employment arrangement for fishermen, as a result of which they face extreme financial crisis. Even if the Bangladesh government provides 25 kg of rice, it is not enough to meet their entire needs. For these various reasons, they are carrying out organized attacks during the administration’s campaign.
The program to protect the Hilsha Jatka started in Bangladesh since 2003-04. Since then, the production of Hilsa has been increasing gradually. Since 2008, a ban has been imposed on catching mother hilsha for 11 days before and after the full moon in the first month of Ashwin. Research shows that hilsha lays eggs not only on the full moon but also on the new moon. That is why the official ban is in effect for 22 consecutive days on both the full moon and the new moon. Accordingly, the Fisheries Department started a campaign to protect mother hilsha in the rivers of the country from midnight on October 3. The district and upazila administrations, army, navy, coast guard, naval police and various law enforcement agencies are working with the Fisheries Department in the rivers of the southern region to implement this campaign.
Mohammad Alam, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer of Hijlha, Barisal, told this correspondent, ‘Since the campaign to protect mother hilsha started on October 3, we have been attacked 10 to 15 times while conducting operations in the Meghna River. Especially for a week, the fishermen have become more aggressive. They cannot be suppressed in any way. Fishermen are going to the river to hunt Hilsha with sticks, bricks and even sharp weapons. Their behavior shows that they are preparing to enter the river to attack the expedition team. They enter the river in groups, much like robbers, with 15 to 20 trawlers.
Meanwhile, talking to the fishermen, it is known that they are breaking the law under such strict conditions. Amir Hossain, a fisherman from Gobindpur Union in Mehendiganj Upazila, said, “I have been working as a fisherman since childhood. I don’t know any other work apart from this. I have two children. My family runs on fishing. But I haven’t received a fishing card till today. We don’t have rice in our stomachs, our family is in need. If we can’t catch fish one day, we have to go hungry the next day. During the ban, there are gunshots in the river, we are caught and tortured. Even then, we take risks and go fishing. What can we do, we are hungry.”
