The authorities arrested ten fishermen from the Meghna river in Chandpur on Thursday and sentenced them to one-year imprisonment each for defying the government's ongoing 22-day ban on ilish fishing.
According to the District Fisheries Office, two engine-driven boats and one lakh metres of banned current nets were seized from their possessions.
Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Helal Uddin Chowdhury conducted the mobile court on Thursday morning.
Senior Fisheries Officer Sudip Bhattacharya said the seized nets were destroyed and the two boats were placed in the custody of the Coast Guard and the Fisheries Department.
The official also said these drives would continue all over the country during the ban.
12 arrested in Shariatpur
Meanwhile, the authorities on Thursday arrested 12 fishermen from the rivers of Padma and Meghna in Shariatpur and fined Tk5,500 each for the same offence.
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According to the District Fisheries Office, one engine-run boat, 50kg mother ilish and 60,000 metres of banned current nets were seized from their possessions during the drive.
A joint team of the Fisheries Department, District Administration, Upazila Administration, RAB, police and Naval police conducted the mobile court.
District Fisheries Officer Pranab Kumar Karmakar said the seized nets were destroyed by fire and the ilish were distributed to various orphanages in the area.
The government imposed a 22-day ban starting from October 4 on catching, selling, storing and transporting ilish, to ensure the safe spawning of the mother ilish fish during its peak breeding period.
The government has allocated some 1,118.068 tons of VGF rice for 555,944 fishermen-families in 36 districts where the ban on selling and fishing Ilish is being enforced.
According to Protection and Conservation of Fish Rules, 1985, fishermen not abiding by the ban can be punished with a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 2 years' rigorous imprisonment or be fined up to Tk5,000.