Jatka conservation week, 2013 has begun on 26 February, 2013 aiming at creating awareness of preserving jatka for boosting Hilsa production. It is organized by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh. The week will be observed from February 26 to March 4 with the slogan styled “If you protect jatka, you will get hilsa for twelve months.”
A huge quantity of jatka (Hilsa fish sized less than 25 cm) is being caught in the country each year. According to the press briefing of Fisheries and Livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas, if 30 percent of the jatka, which is caught, could be protected, the country will be able to produce additional one lakh metric tons of Hilsa and its market price is equivalent to BDT. 3500 crore. The government has set a target to produce 3.96 lakh metric tons of Hilsa during the 2014-15 fiscal year through conservation of the jatka.
As a single species, Hilsa contributed a total of 11.10% of total fish production and about 3.40 lakh metric tons Hilsa was produced in the year of 2010-2011. About 8,539 metric tons Hilsa exported which valued a total of BDT. 352.5 crore in the fiscal year of 2010-2011 (DoF, 2012).
The government has announced five areas of coastal region as sanctuaries for Hilsa and it imposes ban on catching Hilsa for a specific period of the year (DoF, 2013). Information relevant to catch restriction zone, area and period of Hilsa are given in the following table 1.
Table 1: Catch restriction zone, area and period of Hilsa in five sanctuaries
| SN | Restricted Zone | Specified Restricted Area | Restriction Period |
| 1 | From Shatnol of Chandpur to Char Alexander of Laxmipur | 100-km stretch of Meghna River | March to April |
| 2 | From Madanpur / char Ilisha to char Pial of Bhola district | 90 km of Shahbajpur channel of Meghna confluence | March to April |
| 3 | From Bheduria of Bhola to char Rustom of Patuakhali | 100 km of Tentulia River | March to April |
| 4 | Andharmanik River route at Kalapara upazilla of Patuakhali district | 40 km area | November to January |
| 5 | Narhira to Bhedarganj of Shariatpur district | 20 km stretch of Lower basin Padma River | March to April |
According to Fish Conservation Act (1950), jatka catching, transportation, marketing and sale are restricted from November to June in each year. Catching of jatka along with other fish species from hilsa sanctuaries during any period of a given year is also culpable crime according to this act (DoF, 2012).
References
- DoF. 2012. Jatiyo Matshaw Saptaho Sankalan, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka, Bangladesh. pp. 15-16.
- DoF. 2013. Jatka Conservation Week, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Hilsa shad catch restriction zone in Bangladesh View Larger Map |
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