Bengal's beloved Hilsa fish will soon become the first Indian fish to get legal protection as West Bengal Fisheries Department is planning on introducing laws that will make it illegal to catch, buy and sell Hilsa that weighs under 500 grams. ?
Known as the ¡°King of fishes¡±, an organically bred hilsa fish can weigh upto 2.5 kilos but finding one of that weight is becoming increasingly difficult. In order to protect the fish, the fisheries department is will put stringent measures in places under CrPC and IPC that will stop the distribution of those fish that weigh under 500 grams.
State fisheries minister, Chandranath Sinha, said, ¡°The proposal was floated at a recent meeting at the fisheries department. We will soon approach the state home department to start the process of bringing provisions under CrPc and IPC in this regard.¡±
dna
Currently, the fisheries department doesn¡¯t have the power to arrest or impose fines on the catching and distribution of small hilsa in Bengal. However there are some regulations in place including catching Hilsa during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season when the fish migrates to the Hooghly river from the sea for laying eggs.