The government has declared the Halda River as Bangabandhu Fisheries Heritage.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock issued a circular about this on Thursday.
In the circular, the ministry declared the Halda River and 23,422 acres of land adjoining its banks as Bangabandhu Fisheries Heritage.
The declaration will help protect the fish and environment of the Halda River.
With the declaration of Bangabandhu Fisheries Heritage, 12 restrictions will be applicable there and those include —
# Nobody can catch fishes the Halda River
# People can only collect eggs in the Halda River during the season under the supervision of fisheries department
# None can hamper the bio-diversity of the Halda River
# Nobody can pollute the Halda River
# Nobody can discharge any garbage into the Halda River
# Nobody can change the natural navigation of the Halda River
# None can catch fishes from 17 canals of the Halda River during the brooding season
# No dam can be set up on the Halda River
# No project will be taken to collect water from the Halda River
# No engine boats can run through the Halda River during the brooding season
# The river can be used only for research work.
Halda is the only river in the country where fishermen can collect fertilised eggs from the river bed and arrange for them to hatch later on, whereas only hatched fish fries (young fish) – and not fertilised eggs – can be caught in other rivers.
Halda is one of the most important rivers in Bangladesh for the fishing industry because of its once abundant supply of eggs of freshwater fish such as carp, rohu, katla, mrigal etc., and conditions suitable for the brood (egg-laying).
When the British ruled the subcontinent, Halda fish eggs would be supplied to then Burma and other parts of India.
In the 1960s and 70s, two-thirds of the ponds in Bangladesh would use spawn from the Halda River.
The Halda River flows through Raozan, Hathazari and Fatikchhari in Chattogram.