Science
Bangladesh deploys warships to protect prized hilsa fish
by AFP Staff Writers
Dhaka (AFP) Oct 5, 2025
Bangladesh’s defence force said it has deployed warships and patrol aircraft as part of a special surveillance operation to protect a prized fish from illegal fishing during its spawning season.
The herring-like hilsa, Bangladesh’s national fish and a much-loved delicacy in West Bengal in neighbouring India, return from the Bay of Bengal to rivers each year to lay eggs.
Bangladeshi authorities said on Saturday they had imposed a three-week ban on fishing from October 4-25 to safeguard the spawning areas.
The defence force’s Inter-Service Public Relations said in a statement that 17 navy warships and patrol helicopters had been deployed to enforce the ban and protect the fish.
“The warships and state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft have been conducting round-the-clock surveillance to prevent the intrusion of domestic and foreign fishermen into the deep sea,” it said.
Millions in Bangladesh depend on the fish, which can cost up to 2,200 taka ($18.40) a kilogram in Dhaka.
Indian fishing fleets trawl the brackish waters of the River Ganges and its vast delta, feeding demand in the megacity of Kolkata and the wider state of West Bengal, which has a population of more than 100 million people.
Overfishing to meet such demand can deplete stocks as the hilsa return to spawn.
Environmental experts say fish stocks have also been hit by changes to the ecologically sensitive and low-lying deltas, threatened by rising seas driven by climate change.
However, they also fear the ships could disturb the spawning hilsa at a critical time.
Md Abdul Wahab, former head of the Eco Fish project at WorldFish, told AFP the hilsa needed “calm and undisturbed waters for spawning” and suggested the use of drones instead.
The Bangladesh government has allocated 25 kilograms of rice per fishing family to compensate for the ban during the spawning period.
Some said that was not enough.
“These three weeks are very difficult for fishermen, as we have no other means of survival,” said Sattar Majhi, a 60-year-old fisherman.
Related Links
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 – Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled “by Staff Writers” include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report’s information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.