Strict law coming to ban illegal trawling nets in the sea, fisheries minister tells Parliament

The widespread use of illegal and harmful trawling nets in the estuaries and coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal has pushed marine fishery resources to the brink of destruction. The government is going to make a new law to completely stop the manufacture and use of these harmful nets and to bring those involved under strict punishment.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said this in the National Parliament session on Tuesday, presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed. Earlier in the session, Chief Whip of the National Parliament Nurul Islam Moni raised the issue and expressed grave concern.

In the session, the Chief Whip said trawling is being done extensively in all the Bay of Bengal estuaries, from the southern estuary region of the country all the way from Cox's Bazar to Satkhira. In this trawling method, a special kind of net is dragged behind a speedboat and cast into the sea. As a result, not only large fish but also spawn, fry and eggs — all kinds of fishery resources in the sea — are being destroyed together.

Expressing concern, he said that despite various initiatives from the bureaucratic level to stop this harmful process, it cannot be controlled in any way. The impact of this illegal activity in the coastal areas has become so severe that its adverse effects are now clear across the whole of Bangladesh, including his own area.

Understanding the importance of the issue raised by the Chief Whip, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid fully agreed with him. Clarifying the government's position in Parliament, he said there is no alternative to stopping these trawling nets to save fishery resources from destruction.

Highlighting the harmful effects of trawling in the sea, the minister said it is causing fish production to fall by 30 to 40 percent, especially in marine areas. When these nets are dragged along the seabed, the excessive pressure on the seabed kills small fry there, and they are wasted in the sea.

Presenting the ministry's initiatives to stop illegal nets, the Fisheries and Livestock Minister said strict drives and police raids have already been conducted at factories making illegal nets, and large quantities of illegal nets have been destroyed. However, for a permanent remedy, the government is moving towards enacting a strict law.

The minister said steps will be taken very soon to pass a law on this in the National Parliament, and under the new law, anyone who uses or makes a trawling net will face extremely strict and punitive legal action. Through this, the country's invaluable fish and animal resources can be fully protected.