A correspondent:
District and upazila task forces and river police detained 646 fishermen for catching hilsa in violation of the 22-day ban imposed on the Padma-Meghna Rivers to ensure safe breeding of mother hilsa.
Of them, 183 detained in task force drives were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and fined.
Meanwhile, of the 463 fishermen detained in river police drives, 120 were released into the custody of their guardians on bonds as they were minors. River police filed regular cases against the remaining 343.
The information was disclosed this morning in a press release and report sent from the office of the Chandpur District Fisheries Officer and Chandpur River Police Station.
According to the report of the District Fisheries Officer’s office, the government imposed a ban on catching, buying and selling, stocking and transporting all kinds of fish, including hilsa, in an area of about 70 kilometres of the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur, from Shatnol in Matlab North upazila to Charbhairabi in Haimchar, from midnight on October 8 to midnight on October 29.
During this period, district and upazila task forces conducted 238 drives for catching fish in violation of the law. The 183 fishermen detained in these drives were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and fined through 72 mobile courts.
A total of Taka 396,200 was realised as fines.
Chandpur District Fisheries Officer Md Fakhrul Islam said 2.753 tonnes of hilsa and 12,01,099 metres of nets were seized during the drives.
The estimated value of the seized banned nets is Taka 2,71,80,000. A total of 161 cases were filed over the incidents.
The seized nets were burnt, and the seized fish were distributed among local destitute people, madrasas and orphanages in accordance with the hilsa rules.
On the other hand, the river police detained 463 fishermen in drives in the Chandpur region. Of them, 120 were released into the custody of their guardians on bonds as they were minors.
Regular cases were filed against the remaining 343. Besides, the river police filed a total of 132 cases, including two over attacks on river police.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chandpur River Police Station Azamgir Hossain said 30,90,585 metres of current nets seized during the drives were burnt after being preserved as case evidence.
Besides, 77 fishing boats were seized. The 1.320 tonnes of hilsa recovered were distributed among local destitute people, madrasas and orphanages.
Sources said after the end of the 22-day ban, around 44,000 registered fishermen of the district went to the Padma-Meghna Rivers to catch hilsa and other fish after midnight on Thursday (October 29).
