Mohammad Masud Majumder: Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid has said that the killing of Jatka should be completely stopped and the existing laws related to this should be strictly followed. To protect the national resource Hilsa, he called on fishermen, consumers and everyone to come forward to conserve Jatka for the benefit of future generations.
The chief guest said these things in his speech at a program organized to inaugurate Jatka Conservation Week-2026 at Molhead in Chandpur Sadar this afternoon.
The minister said that the national fish of Bangladesh, Hilsa, is the pride and heritage of the country. In 1978-81, martyred President Ziaur Rahman identified Hilsa as an important sector for earning foreign exchange. Later, in 2003-04, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia took effective initiatives to increase Hilsa production and conservation. He said that once about 2 million tons of hilsa was produced in the country, but it has decreased to about 200,000 tons. Currently, production is increasing again due to the Jatka conservation program. If the Jatka killing is completely stopped, it is possible to improve the production of hilsa in the country by 2 million tons.
He said that Chandpur is one of the main centers of hilsa production in the country, where about 80 percent of the total production is available. However, compared to the former abundance, the number of hilsa has decreased at present, the main reason for which is Jatka killing.
The minister said that catching one egg-filled hilsa means destroying thousands of future fish. Therefore, everyone’s awareness is important in hilsa conservation. He said that the government is providing various humanitarian assistance including rice and oil to fishermen, the estimated market value of which is about 6,500 taka. However, he emphasized that along with government assistance, the responsible behavior of fishermen will play the most important role in hilsa conservation.
The minister told the fishermen that if they refrain from fishing for at least two months, the small hilsa will grow up and gain weight, which will be more profitable in the future. He said that Hilsa is now a well-known brand of Bangladesh internationally. To maintain the reputation of “Hilsa means Bangladesh”, everyone will have to work together. He also expressed hope that Hilsa production will increase further if the management of the char and natural environment of the Chandpur region is improved.
Chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Md. Delwar Hossain, MP from Chandpur-3 (Sadar-Haimchar) constituency Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik, Additional Secretary of the Ministry Syeda Nawara Jahan, Director General of the Department of Fisheries Md. Zia Haider Chowdhury, Director General of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Anuradha Bhadra, District Administrator Ahmed Ziaur Rahman, Superintendent of Police Md. Rabiul Hasan, District Council Administrator Advocate AKM Salim Ulya Selim and others were present at the event.
It is worth noting that the Jatka Conservation Week – 2026, organized by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, is being celebrated in 20 Hilsa-rich districts of the country. Along with the central program, various awareness programs have also been taken up at the district and upazila levels. This year’s theme is – “If we stop Jatka fishing, the seas and rivers will be filled with Hilsa”.
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