Fishing banned in Meghna in Chandpur till Apr 30

The government has banned all types of fishing in the Meghna in Chandpur for two months till April 30.
The ban took effect yesterday under the programme for preventing fishermen from catching jatka (hilsha fry).
Chandpur district fisheries officer Kazi Iqbal Hossain said, under the ban all types of fishing and netting in a 100 kilometre area on the river stretching from Shatnol in Matlab Uttar upazila in Chandpur to Char Alexander in Laxmipur would remain suspended for the months of March and April.
To save the national fish from depletion the authorities declared fishing holiday over the 100 km stretch of the Meghna for two months- March and April- every year from 2006.
During the programme, catching of all types of fish in the Meghna in Chandpur remains banned for the aforesaid period.
To make the programme a success the authorities are distributing 30 kg rice to each of 26,335 fishermen in Chandpur district from February which will continue till May.
Besides, an organisation named Centre for Nature Research Study (CNRS) has taken up a programme for providing alternative employment to the fishermen.
They would make employment for 713 fishermen.
With the assistance from the fisheries department the idle fishermen would be employed for cow fattening, goat rearing, sewing and other jobs, according to sources.