58-Day Fishing Ban in the Bay of Bengal Begins from Monday Midnight

A 58-day fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal will begin from midnight on Monday and remain in effect until June 11. Previously, this ban lasted for 65 days, from May 20 to July 23 each year. This year, the duration has been reduced by seven days and aligned with India’s fishing ban period.

Fisheries researchers, fishermen, and seafood traders in Bangladesh had long been demanding synchronization with India’s fishing restrictions and called for technical studies to assess the necessity of a 65-day ban. Responding to these demands, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock issued a new directive on March 16, revising the duration. The move has been welcomed by stakeholders in the sector.

Dr. Mir Mohammad Ali, former researcher at international fisheries research institute WorldFish and assistant professor of aquaculture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, described the realignment as a groundbreaking step. He stated, “This is a transformative decision for the country’s marine fisheries sector. The previous misalignment allowed Indian fishermen to exploit the situation during Bangladesh’s ban, causing significant losses to our marine resources.”

Officials from the Barisal divisional fisheries department noted that both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments impose seasonal bans to ensure sustainable fishing and fish breeding. Bangladesh's ban previously ran from May 20 to July 23 (65 days), while India’s ban lasts from April 15 to June 14 (61 days). The new harmonized schedule is expected to prevent cross-border fishing violations.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna District Trawler Owners Association, pointed out that during Bangladesh’s previous ban period, Indian fishermen often entered Bangladeshi waters near the Sundarbans and Kuakata to fish freely for about 39 days. This had severely impacted local fishermen. With both countries now enforcing the ban simultaneously, such exploitation is expected to be avoided.

According to the Marine Fisheries Ordinance, a 65-day annual fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal has been enforced since 2015. Initially, it applied only to industrial trawlers, but since 2019, all types of fishing vessels have come under its scope. The ban has historically caused severe hardship for hundreds of thousands of coastal fishermen.

Fishermen in southern Bangladesh shared that they already observe a total of 147 restricted fishing days per year, including:

22 days for the Hilsa breeding ban, 8 months (Nov 1–June 30) for the juvenile Hilsa (jatka) ban, 2 months (March–April) for fishing sanctuaries, and 65 days for the sea ban.
With the sea ban now shortened by 8 days, the total number of restricted days comes down to 139. Jafar Hossain, a trawler captain from Patharghata in Barguna, said, “We are happy with the government's new decision. Now we want proper implementation.”

Fishing trawlers have started returning to shore in preparation for the ban. By 8:30 p.m., Golam Mostafa Chowdhury said about 350 out of 400 trawlers under their association had returned, with the rest expected soon. Trawlers from Nalil in Barguna Sadar, Fakirhat in Taltoli, Nidra, and from Mohipur and Alipur in Patuakhali are also returning to shore.