Govt to track fishing boats, limit Naf fishing to curb smuggling, abductions

The government will bring fishing boats under the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking, register those still unregistered and limit fishing in the Naf River, to curb smuggling into Myanmar and protect fishermen from abduction by the Arakan Army, according to the Ministry of 
Home Affairs.
The system will cover boats operating mainly from Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar and some other districts, sources in the ministry said. 
The government has also decided to take strict action against boat owners and others involved in smuggling.
Fishing boats have long been used to smuggle goods and foodstuffs from Bangladesh into Myanmar, with drugs trafficked into Bangladesh in return. 
The Arakan Army, an insurgent group in Myanmar, also frequently kidnaps Bangladeshi fishermen and their boats while they are netting fish in the Naf.
The decisions came at a ministry meeting on Thursday, chaired by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, which reviewed earlier decisions and progress reports from the implementing agencies, insiders told the Daily Sun.
Representatives of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Armed Police Battalion (APBn), District Special Branch (DSB), River Police, Special Response Battalion (SRB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG), Ansar and VDP, and the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) attended.
Under the decisions, every fishing boat must be registered, with copies of the registration sent to the relevant law enforcement agencies. Registered vessels must keep their AIS and GPS tracking systems switched on.
The Noakhali DSB told the meeting that it had directed the officers-in-charge (OCs) of Bhasanchar, Hatiya and Companyganj police stations to collect copies of registration documents from fishermen. The OCs have also been told to begin AIS and GPS tracking and to coordinate with fisheries and livestock officials.
The fisheries ministry said sea-going fishing vessels receive a fishing licence from the Department of Fisheries after registering with the Mercantile Marine Department in Chattogram. For artisanal vessels, the director of the Marine Fisheries Office issues a “letter of permission” to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A total of 1,010 boats are engaged in fishing in the Naf, it said. 
On satellite-based AIS, the Department of Fisheries has submitted a report, with recommendations, on a memorandum of understanding proposed by Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL). 
A meeting chaired by the ministry secretary was scheduled for 13 September to clarify several points in the report. The BGB said work to install AIS and GPS tracking on registered vessels was “under way”.
The BCG said a section of fishermen had become involved in smuggling alongside fishing. Its representative said 117 drug smugglers were detained in anti-drug operations in the Bangladesh-Myanmar border areas between 17 February and 2 September.
The force is running an operation, codenamed “Coral Island”, with vessels deployed in and around St Martin’s Island. The meeting minutes said fishing in the river must be curtailed. The River Police said fishing in the Naf had become risky because of recent “untoward incidents” and repeated detentions of fishermen and their boats by the Arakan Army. 
The OCs concerned have been instructed to hold coordination meetings with fishermen, their organisations and upazila fisheries officers to limit fishing in the current circumstances. The Cox’s Bazar DSB said a fishing deadline of 5:00pm had been set for the Naf, while the SRB said fishing was being strictly controlled through close surveillance.
The meeting also decided to allocate funds to rehabilitate fishermen who would lose income because of the restrictions, based on a list prepared by the Chattogram divisional commissioner. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will take the necessary steps. The Cox’s Bazar district administration said it had sent the list of fishermen operating in the Naf to the divisional commissioner on 13 October 2025. 
To speed up implementation, letters were issued on 23 June 2026 to the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, all law enforcement agencies, the district fisheries officer and the district disaster management and relief officer. The APBn said Rohingyas living in the camps were being completely barred from fishing in the Naf through beat policing and awareness meetings.  The RRRC said Rohingyas may leave the camps only for medical treatment and court appearances, with an exit pass issued by the camp-in-charge.