Another project launched to boost hilsa production

A project "ECOFISH" was launched in the capital yesterday in order to increase the production of hilsa in the country.

The fisheries department and WorldFish, an international NGO working for conservation of fish resources in Bangladesh, jointly will implement the five-year long ECOFISH (Enhanced Costal Fisheries in Bangladesh) project which is being funded by USAID.

If the project is implemented properly, Bangladesh will be able to export hilsa to foreign countries in a larger scale after fulfilling the demand of the countrymen, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque in the launching ceremony at the capital's Sonargaon hotel.

Under the project, one lakh women and men involved in hilsa fishing and trading will be trained on different skills enabling them to adopt alternative occupations during a ban on hilsa and jatka catching, and 20,000 families will be provided with direct livelihood support.

Besides, discussions will be held with law enforcing agencies, which monitor hilsa and jatka catching during a specific period and the use of mono filament net and other destructive gears, in order to find out and address challenges they face during their drives. Stakeholders' engagement in resource conservation will also be ensured.

At the event, US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat said, "Hilsha fisheries have played an important role in the transformational growth of Bangladesh into a lower middle-income economy. The fish provides jobs to half a million artisanal fishers, and supports an additional two million jobs in its value chain."

Maksudul Hasan Khan, secretary to fisheries and livestock ministry; Dr Patrick Dugan, deputy director general, WorldFish; Dr Craig Meisner, country director of Bangladesh and South Asia, WorldFish; and Dr Md Abdul Wahab, team leader of ECOFISH, also spoke.