Abstract

Hilsa is the national pride of Bangladesh. In the last few decades, production of Hilsa has declined rapidly due to various natural and artificial factors (Reduced River erosion, environmental degradation, arbitrary erosion, and over-harvesting of Jatka). To overcome this Govt. of Bangladesh has taken some excellent initiatives; the sanctuary establishment is one of them. The present study was conducted from 2010 to 2015 at five sampling sites along the five (5) tributaries of the Meghna River in Barisal District, Bangladesh. In periodic months, data including length-weight, and CPUE of Hilsa fish (Hilsa Larvae and Jatka) were randomly collected from fisherman's commercial catch and BFRI's experimental catch at each sampling site. CPUE of Jatka was found to be gradually increased from 2.0 to 3.25 kg/100m net/Haul. The river water Temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), Free carbon dioxide (CO2), pH, Total hardness, Total alkalinity, Conductivity, and Ammonia were found suitable for the biodiversity of the River. It has been shown that the abundance of phytoplankton is high, which ensures the abundance of fish food. Based on the BFRI research results, it was recommended to establish the 6th (Six) Hilsa Sanctuary in the region covering a total area of 82 km which was declared by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Keywords: Sanctuary, Conservation, Hilsa, Meghna River, CPUE