Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
The air force will be deployed with drones this year to help protect ilish, alongside the police and navy, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said.
She announced that a 22-day ban on ilish fishing will be enforced from October 4 to 24 to safeguard spawning fish. Last year’s initiative proved effective, protecting about 52.5% of mother ilish, she added.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Randa Prasad Saha Durga Temple in Mirzapur, Tangail, on Wednesday, the adviser said the widespread use of current nets and Chinese nets remains the main reason behind declining ilish stocks.
“That is why we will remain more vigilant this year and hope to protect more ilish,” she said.
At the same event, Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen S Morshed stressed that culture must not be destroyed and no vested force should use politics to undermine unity.
“We came here to speak of harmony, to embrace all cultures, and to pledge to make this country more beautiful. The government always seeks to ensure that no festival is disrupted,” she said.
Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, British High Commissioner Sarah Cook, Swiss Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Deepak Ilmar, and others were present.
