60 fishermen held for violating hilsa ban

A joint team of mobile court in separate drives arrested 60 fishermen along with current net and hilsa on Tuesday  from the rivers of Padma and Meghna in the district and sentenced them to different terms jail for defying the government’s ongoing a 22-day ban on hilsa fishing.

According to the district fisheries offices, a total of 60 fishermen were arrested with 78 kgs of mother hilsa and 3.55 lakh meters of banned current nets during the drives in the rivers Padma and Meghna.

The mobile court sentenced 54 fishermen to different terms imprisonment and fined six fishermen Tk 5,000.

The joint team of mobile court includes officials of Fisheries Department, District Administration, upazila Administration and members of RAB, Police and Naval Police.

District Fisheries Officer Pranab Kumar Karmakar said the seized nets were destroyed and the seized Hilsha has been distributed to the orphanages, madrasas and poor people in the area.

The government has imposed a 22-day ban starting from October 4 on catching, selling, storing and transporting Hilsha, to ensure safe spawning of the Mother Hilsha, during its peak breeding period.