Mother hilsa netting fest on defying ban

Defying the ongoing 22-day government ban on catching hisla across the country, mother hilsa fishing are going on unabated in Munshiganj.

In a bid to protect mother hilsa during its peak breeding season, the government declared catching, selling, transporting and hoarding of the national fish illegal between October 1 and 22.

Locals said fishermen are netting hilsas in the river Padma in Louhajang upazila of the district every day.

While visiting the area on Sunday, The Daily Star found such a scenario. The customers, mostly females, were thronging the riverbank early in the morning.

The fishes being kept in cork sheet boxes in a bid to hoard them near a ghat in Sinehati village of the upazila. Photo: Star

The mouth of Holdia Chitakhola canal, Khoria Taltola crossing, Korhati Char and Sinehati Ghat in the upazila have turned into hilsa hubs.

Women from char areas carrying hilsa in bags are sent to villages for selling those.

Besides, a section of fishermen have been hoarding a huge number of hilsas with ice in cork sheet boxes and, later, making home deliveries.

Hilsas are being caught in the river Meghna in Sadar and Gazaria upazilas of Munshiganj too.

However, District Fishermen Association President Alim Uddin said fishermen have not gone to the rivers to catch hilsas since the ban started.

He alleged that the government is not giving compensation to the fishermen.

District Fisheries officials said they did not get allocation of rice for the fishermen. They are trying to get it, they added.

Customers returning homes with hilsas in their bags in the area. The photos were taken on Sunday morning. Photo: Star

Meanwhile, to stop catching hilsas, the government conducted drives in the districts.

So far 25 mobile courts were operated till yesterday. They conducted 73 raids at 561 markets and filed 73 cases.

They fined fishermen Tk 1.7 lakh and seized 1,072 kilogrammes of hilsas, said District Fisheries Officer Dr Oliur Rahman.

He said about 36,000 metres of nets, including current nets, worth more than Tk 6 lakh were seized.

A mobile court sentenced a fisherman named Nasir to five days' imprisonment.

Munshiganj Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Suraiya Jahan said due a lack of speed boats successful drives against catching hilsa cannot be conducted in many cases. Fishermen manage to flee while they reach spots by trawlers, she added.