To enforce the ban protecting mother hilsa at sea, the fisheries department has cut the power connections of 16 ice factories in Patharghata upazila, Barguna. A fishing trawler loaded with ice and preparing to go to sea was also seized.

Patharghata Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Md Hasibul Haque confirmed this to Jagonews24 at noon on Saturday (4 October).

According to the upazila fisheries office, many dishonest fishermen ignore the ban and go to sea to fish with loads of ice. Because of this concern, the power connections of 16 ice factories (supplied by Palli Bidyut) in different areas of Patharghata were temporarily cut on Friday night. They will be reconnected on the night of 24 October.

Earlier on Friday night, the fisheries department received a tip-off that a trawler named FB Jahanara, owned by Dulal Company, was being loaded with ice to go to sea. Officials went to the spot, seized the trawler and destroyed the ice on board.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Patharghata Trawler Owners' Association, told Jagonews24 that the fisheries department had seized a trawler with ice and destroyed the ice, then handed the trawler over to the association's custody. "We have already warned all owners. We also give the administration our fullest cooperation in enforcing the ban," he said.

Md Hasibul Haque told Jagonews24: "We have taken all-out measures to enforce the ban. The connections of the 16 ice factories were cut with the cooperation of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer, the officer-in-charge of Patharghata police station and Palli Bidyut officials."

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