Photo: BSS

SHARIATPUR, May 4, 2026 (BSS) - Food assistance has been distributed among registered fishermen in Naria upazila under a government initiative aimed at supporting livelihoods during the seasonal fishing ban.

The distribution programme was held on Monday morning at the upazila auditorium, organized jointly by the Naria Upazila Administration and the Department of Fisheries as part of the Hilsa Resource Development and Management Project in designated fisheries sanctuaries.

Shariatpur-2 constituency MP Alhaj Shafiqur Rahman Kiron was present at the programme as the chief guest while Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Abdul Qayyum Khan presided over the event. 

Dhaka Divisional Fisheries Department Director Md. Ahsan Habib and Shariatpur District Fisheries Officer Bishwajit Kumar Deb were present as special guest.

According to officials, fishing has been prohibited for two months—from March to April—in a stretch in the fisheries sanctuary extending from Mulfatganj Ghat to Sureshwar in Naria upazila, and from Sureshwar to the Meghna River estuary in Bhedarganj upazila. The restriction aims to boost the production of jatka, the juvenile hilsa fish, which is crucial for conserving the country's fisheries resources.

To mitigate the impact of the ban, food items were distributed to 500 selected fishermen out of 3,755 registered in the upazila. Each beneficiary received 10 kg of flour, 8 kg of lentils, 4 kg of sugar, 4 kg of salt, 16 kg of potatoes, and 10 kg of soybean oil.

Officials said that the initiative is intended to ensure food security for fishing families while encouraging compliance with conservation measures essential for increasing hilsa production and preserving aquatic biodiversity.