A joint team of the upazila fisheries department and the Coast Guard came under attack while enforcing the mother hilsa ban on the Meghna river in Hizla upazila of Barishal. The incident took place at about 3:30pm on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, in the Aliganj area of the main Meghna, Prothom Alo and Manobkantha reported. Mohammad Alam, the senior fisheries officer of Hizla upazila, confirmed it. Seven fishermen were detained.
What happened during the drive
According to Prothom Alo, eyewitnesses said fishermen in small boats were catching hilsa in a Meghna sanctuary in defiance of the ban. Acting on that information, the upazila fisheries department went to the Aliganj area with Coast Guard members. The drive was led by Md Saiful Islam, contingent commander of the Coast Guard, and fisheries officer Mohammad Alam.
Mohammad Alam told Jagonews24 that the fisheries office and the Coast Guard raided the spot jointly while fish were being caught with illegal nets. By his account, the fishermen then attacked the team with machetes and local weapons, and the speedboat used in the drive was damaged. He told Prothom Alo that the situation was brought under control with the help of the Coast Guard.
The reports gave different figures for the injured. Prothom Alo said at least three people, including the fisheries officer, were hurt. Manobkantha reported that the senior fisheries officer and four Coast Guard members were injured. None of the reports gave details of their condition.
Detentions, seized nets and a case in preparation
Prothom Alo reported that Coast Guard members gave chase and detained seven fishermen, and that about 5,000 metres of illegal small-mesh current net were seized at the scene. According to fisheries officer Mohammad Alam, those detained were Jibon Sardar, Abdur Rahim, Miraj Hossain, Saddam, Raihan Patwari, Barkat Ullah and Sujon, all residents of the Ulania area of neighbouring Mehendiganj upazila.
Manobkantha said the detained men were handed over to the police. The fisheries officer said a case against them was being prepared. Coast Guard contingent commander Md Saiful Islam told Prothom Alo: "We are carrying out drives regularly. Legal action will be taken against the attackers."
The 22-day ban to protect mother hilsa
The incident came on the fourth day of the government's 22-day ban for the hilsa breeding season. The Business Standard reported that on 29 September 2025 the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock announced a nationwide ban on catching, transporting, storing, marketing, buying, selling and exchanging hilsa from 4 to 25 October. The dates were set to cover both the full moon and the new moon of the Bangla month of Ashwin, when breeding peaks. As Prothom Alo put it, catching, marketing, transporting or storing hilsa in this period is a punishable offence.
According to the ministry, the Naval Police, Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force were to take part in enforcing the ban. It said 620,140 fishing families in 165 upazilas of 37 districts would receive 25kg of rice each under the VGF programme during the ban, and that the 2024 ban had allowed 52.5 percent of mother hilsa to lay eggs.
Hizla is the largest upazila of Barishal district, covering 515.36 square kilometres. Surrounded by rivers, it borders Mehendiganj to the south and Gosairhat (Shariatpur) and Haimchar (Chandpur) to the north. The Meghna and its branches are the main source of livelihood for its fishermen.
Photo: Alaminnayemhang / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sources: Jagonews24, Prothom Alo, Daily Manobkantha, The Business Standard, Wikipedia
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