161 fishermen jailed, fined for defying Hilsa fishing ban

Mobile courts assisted by River Police have jailed and fined 161 fishermen for catching hilsa defying government ban from different rivers across the country.

Of them, 131 fishermen were awarded different terms of jail while 30 others were fined Tk 1.38 lakh, BM Harun-Ar-Rashid, superintendent (Crime and Operations) of River Police, told The Daily Star this evening.  

Besides, 24 other fishermen have been sued in the 24-hour drive till 8:00am today while legal steps against 12 more are underway, he said.

Around 22.68 lakh meters of current nets, 45 boats, seven trawlers and 1389 kilogram of hilsa fishes were seized during the drives at different parts of the country including Munshiganj and Shariatpur.

The seized current nets were burnt and the fish were distributed among poor people, the police officer said.

The government imposed a 22-day ban on catching, selling, storing and transporting Hilsa from October 9 to 30, to ensure safe spawning of the national fish during its peak breeding period.

Officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, River Police, local administrations are conducting drives across the country.