Dhaka, Oct 7 (PTI) Bangladesh has launched an extensive surveillance in rivers and marine waters using drones, warships and patrol helicopters to protect the valuable hilsa fish during its breeding season, officials said on Tuesday.

The drones were being used to enforce aerial surveillance on territorial waters along the southern coastlines and inland waters, officials said, adding that the navy has deployed 17 warships and patrol helicopters to enforce a makeshift ban on hilsa fishing.

“We’ve been conducting extensive surveillance in rivers and marine water through drones to protect hilsa to ensure safe breeding during its peak breeding period,” Deputy Director of Hilsa Management Section of Department of Fisheries (DoF) Firoz Ahamed was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.

Bangladesh has enforced a three-week ban on hilsa fishing from October 4 to 25 to safeguard its spawning areas of the fish, which has a high demand in West Bengal and the Bengali-populated state of Tripura.

“The drone surveillance alongside the regular drives and patrols began on Friday midnight and will continue until October 25 midnight in line with a government order,” a fisheries ministry spokesman said.

The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army - earlier announced that the naval engagement was ordered against domestic and foreign fishermen in Bangladesh's territorial waters.

"The warships and state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft have been conducting round-the-clock surveillance to prevent the intrusion of domestic and foreign fishermen into the deep sea," the ISPR said.

Assistant Director and Deputy Chief of Hilsa Management Section of DoF Muhammad Kamruzzaman said they have attached priorities to the districts of Barishal and Chattogram zones out of 38 districts to save hilsa to ensure safe breeding during the 22-day ban period.

A large quantity of illegal fishing nets and over 100 people were arrested in the last couple of days from Barishal and Chattogram zones on charges of fishing during the ban period, the agency said.

To maintain compliance throughout the ban period, four specialised forces are involved in the surveillance efforts.  These enforcement teams include patrols conducted by the Navy, Naval Police, Coast Guard and Air Force.

Fisheries officials, along with law enforcement agencies, are participating in this massive operation.

Bangladesh is the world's largest hilsa producer, but it restricts the export of the fish due to high local demand. During the Durga Puja festival, the government usually relaxes the ban on exports of the fish species, a sought-after delicacy especially in West Bengal.

Bangladesh imposed a ban on hilsa export in 2012, but it has been allowing the export of fish to India in a limited quantity from the first week of September until the end of the Durga Puja festival as a goodwill gesture for the last six years.

Bangladesh recently approved the export of 1,200 tonnes of hilsa to India for the festive season, with the shipment window fixed between September 16 and October 5.

According to media reports, the actual export fell short of this quantity due to low local supply and high prices. PTI AR ZH ZH ZH