Seventeen fishermen have been held by the Coast Guard for violating a government ban on fishing in the Meghna River in Chandpur to catch ilish during the breeding season.
They were held during an operation conducted by the Bangladesh Coast Guard Station, Chandpur, on Wednesday.
Among the 17 detainees, one was under 18 and was released to his guardian with a written bond, confirmed Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Siam-ul-Haq.
He stated that under the “Protection and Conservation of Fish Act, 1950" ilish fishing, transportation, storage, marketing, and sale are banned nationwide from Saturday to October 25 to protect mother ilish during the peak breeding season.
To ensure the success of this conservation drive, the Coast Guard has ramped up intelligence surveillance and is conducting round-the-clock patrols in rivers and coastal areas, he added.
During Wednesday's raid in the Meghna River and nearby areas, the Coast Guard seized 30,000 meters of illegal current nets worth Tk10.5 lakh, 20kg of ilish worth Tk20,000, and two engine-run wooden boats.
The seized nets were destroyed in the presence of the Chandpur upazila senior fisheries officer, and the confiscated fish were distributed to a local madrasa.
The boats were handed over to the fisheries office, and the remaining 16 detainees were transferred to Chandpur Sadar Police Station.
The Coast Guard has pledged to continue such operations in the future to protect fish resources.