The government has imposed a two-month ban on catching fish fry, including jatka (hilsa fry), from March 1 to April 30 in the Meghna River, aiming to boost fish output.
District Fisheries Officer Mosharraf Hossain urged the fishermen to refrain from netting fish fry till April 30 during the peak hilsa breeding season.
He was speaking at a meeting held with fishermen on Wednesday at Majuchowdhury Hat in Meghna Ghat of Sadar upazila.
To stop jatka catching, the government announced the Chandpur to Alexander stretch of the river as sanctuary for hilsa.
According to researchers, hilsa develops 2-2.5 centimetres in length a month and starts moving towards the sea after reaching 15-17cm in length.
Bangladesh Coastguard and Bangladesh Navy and police will conduct separate drives in the areas to check catching of hilsa fry during the ban period.