Seven fishermen were jailed in Bhola and Munshiganj while 58 others fined in Bagerhat and Barguna on Friday for defying a ban on catching hilsa.
An 11-day ban imposed by the government on catching, transporting and marketing hilsa across the country began on October 13, aiming to boost hilsa production through ensuring safe spawning and protecting mother hilsa, reports UNB.
In Bhola, a mobile court sentenced six fishermen to one year’s imprisonment for catching hilsa in Charfasson upazila.
The mobile court conducted separate drives in the Meghna and the Tetulia rivers from the morning and held the fishermen. Two trawlers were also seized from their possession.
In Barguna, 45 fishermen were fined Tk1,000 to Tk5,000 for catching hilsa in the Bay of Bengal.
Coast Guard members in their overnight drive arrested the fishermen from Pakkhidia area in the bay during their drive from 8pm on Thursday to 8am on Friday.
During the drive, eight maunds of hilsa, over 200,000 metres of nets and four trawlers were also seized.
The arrested fishermen were produced before a mobile court around 11am which slapped fine on them.
In Munshiganj, Coast Guard members seized 180,000 metres of current nets at different points of the Meghna River in Sadar and Gazaria upazilas, and held a fisherman along with 18 mother hilsas.
Later, a mobile court sentenced the fisherman, Shawkat Sheikh, 35, to 15 days’ imprisonment.
In Bagerhat, a joint team of Bangladesh Coast Guard and Fisheries Department held 13 fishermen while they were catching hilsa at Bagi and Maherchar in the Baleswar River in Sharankhola upazila in the early hours.
Four trawlers and 7,000 metres of nets were also seized from their possession.
Later the arrested were produced before a mobile court which fined them Tk5,000 each, and released them.
