A mobile court has detained 11 fishermen for defying the government ban during a drive on the Meghna in Hatiya, the isolated island upazila of Noakhali. The 400 kg of hilsa seized from them was distributed to orphanages.

They were detained during drives in the Sukhchar, Nalchira and Burirchar areas of Hatiya on the night of Saturday (2 November). The drive was led by Milton Chakma, assistant commissioner (land) of Hatiya upazila.

Mobile court sources said the drive followed reports of fishing in the river during the banned period. The 11 fishermen were detained with 50,000 metres of net and 400 kg of hilsa on two trawlers. The fish was later distributed among local madrasas, orphanages and poor and destitute families.

Assistant commissioner (land) Milton Chakma said the detained fishermen admitted their guilt, so they were fined Tk 40,000 and released. Such drives will continue until the government's period for protecting mother hilsa ends, he said.

Hatiya upazila fisheries officer Fahad Hasan said that if mother hilsa and jatka are not protected, hilsa production will fall next year, and if production falls it is those who catch hilsa who will suffer.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.