Bangladesh has taken a big step forward in preserving and protecting its national fish stocks.
Last month, the South Asian country announced an eight-month nationwide ban on catching juvenile ugly storks. The ban will last until June 2026, and officials hope it will help increase populations of the popular fish, New Age reported.
In October, Bangladesh implemented a three-week ban on female shad fishing as a way to protect mothers during the animals’ breeding season. Now that the eggs laid by these mothers have hatched, officials say the latest ban will allow the newborn shad to grow safely, which will quickly increase their numbers in the country.
The ban also comes with severe penalties. Anyone convicted of catching, buying, selling or transporting shad less than 10 inches may face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $4,000, or both.
Anchovy, also known as ilish and jatka, is an extremely important fish in Bangladesh and a staple of Bangladeshi cuisine. But it also makes them susceptible to overfishing.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature ranks the snipe as least concern globally, but notes that its numbers are declining. In the Persian Gulf, it has been reclassified as Near Threatened.
Fishing bans are an effective way to ensure species populations do not become dangerously low and protect an area’s biodiversity.
Earlier this year, officials in eastern India enacted a ban on all fishing within 12 miles of three rivers that flow into the Bay of Bengal to protect the olive ridley turtle’s natural habitat. The U.S. Virgin Islands enacts annual fishing closures from October through December to protect several important snapper species.
Overfishing isn’t the only threat to shad. The fish have been found to contain microplastics (tiny pieces of plastic less than five millimeters) as well as metals such as lead and mercury, posing health risks not only to the fish but also to the people who eat them.
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