Staff Correspondent

A nationwide eight-month ban on catching juvenile hilsa, locally known as “Jatka”, is set to take effect at midnight to boost production and protect the fish's future stocks.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on Saturday, the restrictions will be enforced under the ministry's supervision and implemented by the Department of Fisheries.

The ban will remain in effect until Jun 30, 2027, prohibiting the catching, transportation, marketing, purchase, sale, and storage of hilsa measuring less than 25cm.

The move follows the “Mother hilsa Conservation Campaign-2026”, which ran from Oct 8 to Oct 29 to protect spawning hilsa during their peak breeding season.

The ministry said newly hatched hilsa fry spend the first five to eight months of their lives in the country's coastal rivers, estuaries, and waterways after emerging from eggs released by mature fish.

Protecting the juvenile fish during this period is crucial to sustaining hilsa stocks and increasing production, it said, adding that allowing the fry to mature would help raise the country's overall hilsa output in the coming years.

Under the Protection and Conservation of Fish (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, and the Protection and Conservation of Fish Rules, 1985, violations of the ban carry a penalty of up to two years in rigorous imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 500,000, or both.

The Department of Fisheries will enforce the restrictions across the country with support from district and Upazila administrations, the Navy, Coast Guard, River Police, Special Response Battalion (SRB) and local law enforcing agencies.