36 fishermen jailed for defying hilsa fishing ban

Mobile Courts in Bhola and Chandpur jailed 36 fishermen and fined three others yesterday and the day before for defying the on-going temporary ban on hilsa fishing. 

Our Bhola correspondent reported that a mobile court yesterday sentenced 28 fishermen to one year's imprisonment and fined three others for catching hilsa in the Meghna River.

A joint team of the Fisheries Department and district administration with the help of coastguards raided Elisha, Kathir Matha, Gazipur Char and Majher Char areas in Sadar upazila and detained 31 fishermen.

The team also seized four trawlers, 50kgs of hilsa and around 60,000 metres nets during the drive, said Palash Halder, Sadar upazila fisheries officer.

The arrestees were produced before the court of Executive Magistrate Kamal Hossain, also assistant commissioner (land) in Sadar upazila. The court sentenced 28 fishermen to one year's imprisonment and fined three others Tk 5,000 each.

The authorities concerned imposed a 15-day temporary ban on September 25 on catching, selling and transporting hilsa for safe spawning and protecting mother hilsa.

Away in Chandpur, eight fishermen were jailed for one year each for fishing hilsa in the Meghna River on Sunday, defying the on-going ban, reports our correspondent.

Sub-inspector Mosharrof Hossain of Chandpur River Police Outpost said law enforces arrested the fishermen from Harina Ghat in Sadar upazila and Char Bhairabi in Haimchar upazila in the afternoon. 

They were later produced before the courts of Executive Magistrates Mohammad Rashed and Saiful Islam that punished them, said Omar Faruk, sub-inspector of the river police outpost.

Meanwhile, in Munshiganj, a mobile court in an overnight drive detained six fishermen and seized 60,000 metres of current net worth around Tk 17 lakh from Meghna and Dhaleshwari Rivers early yesterday.

The arrested six were produced before the court of Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saraban Tahura that fined the fishermen Tk 1000 each.

The seized nets were later burnt near the Munshiganj Launch Terminal, said Sadar Upazila Fisheries Officer Shahajada Khasru.