Sundarbans: Two months ban on fishing starts today

The forest department has decided to ban the netting of fishes from all rivers and canals in the Sundarbans for the next two months, starting from today.

The ban will continue till August 30.

The decision was taken as part of an initiative to help safe breeding of fish in these two months, said a forest official.

Due to this, the authorities concerned have also stopped giving passes and permits to enter the world's largest mangrove forest from June 24, he said.

The Sundarbans Forest Department made an agreement in 2019, as per the recommendations of the Integrated Resources Management Plans (IRMP), to protect fishery resources in the Sundarbans, said East Sundarbans Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mohammad Belayet Hossain.

As a part of that, the netting of fishes in all the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans remains halted from July 1 to August 30 every year, said the DFO.

As a part of that, the netting of fishes in all the rivers and canals in the forest remains halted from July 1 to August 30 every year, he added.

These two months are the breeding season of most of the fishes in the rivers and canals of the forest. If the netting of fishes is stopped at this time, fishes will be increased in the rivers and the canals of the Sundarbans.

Patrolling in the area has been intensified so that poachers do not get a chance to do that, said the DFO.

Those who have been given permits to enter by June 23 must return by June 30; if anyone defies the instruction, authorities will take stern action against them, the official added.

The mangrove forest is home to around 210 varieties of local fish like bhetki, poopchanda, datina, chitra, pangas, leyte, churi, med, parese, poya, tapsay, lakhna, koi, magur, shol, kain and hilsa.