The production of hilsa and initiatives of govt. for sustainable hilsa production, conservative and management.

1. Success Of Sustainable Hilsa
Production:
Livelihood Of Hilsa Fisherman

2. Background
❑ Hilsa is a renewable source and 2nd GI product of Bangladesh.
❑ It’s a single species that contributes about 12.22% of the total fish production
of our country.
❑ The production chain of Hilsa has economic and employment returns which
is bigger than all other single-species resources.
❑ Hilsa production declined before and after the ‘90s because of different
reasons.
❑ But in the last 12 years, the production rate increased nearly double.
❑ The government of Bangladesh take different initiatives to manage, conserve,
and protect the “King of Fish” to increase the production rate sustainably.

3. Reason for the decline of Hilsa production
Anthropogenic
֍ Distraction of habitat, breeding and
spawning area.
֍ Construction of bridge, dam, road.
֍ Construction of industry rear
riverside.
֍ Pollution
֍ Over fishing
֍ Catching of larvae and juveniles.
֍ Use of noxious net.
Natural
♣ Sedimentation and siltation
♣ Change of direction of river
♣ Increase of salt amount in river water
♣ Decrease of navigability of river.

4. Initiative of Govt. for sustainable Hilsa production
☻ Creation and implementation of the “Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan”
(HFMAP).
☻ Deceleration of four breeding areas in the Bay of Bengal of 7000 sq. km.
☻ Establishment of 6 sanctuaries with a 432 km area.
☻ Declaration of the 3188 km area of Nijum dip as a marine protected area (MPA) site.
☻ Banning of 22 days of any kind of fishing activity and 8 months (November to June)
of activity related to Jatka (less than 25 cm juvenile Hilsa).
☻ Set of mesh size of 6.5 cm.
☻ Banning of 65 days of fishing activity in the ocean.
☻ Destruction of the noxious net in the time of January and February every year.

5. Cont.
☻ Giving humanitarian facilities to prevent fishing activity during the time of
banning period.
☻ A fun was raised for Hilsa management and development.
☻ Creation of alternative livelihood for the fisherman during the banning period.
☻ Creating awareness to conserve brood and jatka Hilsa.

6. A project is planned for “Hilsh Resource Development and Management”
combined with 134 upazila of 29 districts. The main parts of the plan are-
1. Awareness meeting
2. Creating opportunities for alternative income generation for
fisherman
3. Training for alternative income-generating activities for beneficiaries
4. Implementation of the Fish Act for Jatka and brood Hilsa conservation
5. Strengthening of Hilsa Sanctuary management activities
6. Distribution of legitimate fishing net

7. Impact of the plan
⮚ Socio-economic development of Hilsa fisherman.
⮚ Upgrading of economic development of fishermen from
the calf given under the project.
⮚ Upgrading of economic development of fishermen from
the riksha given under the project.

8. Challenges of sustainable Hilsa production
❖ Change of migration route because of pollution and habitat destruction.
❖ Overfishing of brood and Jatka create problems for entering new fish.
❖ Decrease of navigability of river.
❖ Problem in the measurement of net, boat and dependent people in Hilsa
resource.
❖ Sanctuaries can’t be impactful because of water pollution that alters the
water properties.
❖ The measurement of the environmental impact of the breeding and
spawning areas effectiveness.

9. How to overcome challenges
• Scientific research needs to improve the habitat of Hilsa.
• Master dredging of the riverbed for better navigation.
• Creating a proper list of nets, boat and fishermen related to Hilsa fisheries
• Ecological study needed to run combined with the local community to
improve the effectiveness of sanctuaries and create awareness among
people
• Evaluation of ecological impact on sanctuaries.
• Building relationships among sectors.

10. Conclusion
The Hilsa fish is crucial to Bangladesh's economy, supporting innumerable
communities. Demand drives a vibrant sector, producing fishing, processing, and
trading jobs. However, overexploitation threatens Hilsa populations, requiring
strong conservation measures. Saving this species requires sustainable
management strategies like seasonal fishing bans and habitat protection. For the
Hilsa and its communities to thrive, commercial interests and ecological
responsibilities must be balanced. A balanced, conservation-focused approach
assures Bangladesh's Hilsa's economic and cultural viability.