Fishing in the sea and rivers is banned for 22 days for the main hilsa breeding season. During the ban, two Indian-flagged fishing trawlers entered Bangladesh's waters and were fishing. The Bangladesh Navy detained the two trawlers and 31 fishermen for violating the ban.

Lt Md Mosiul Islam, commanding officer of the Navy ship BNS Shahid Akhtar Uddin, confirmed this at a press conference at the Payra port jetty at 11am on Wednesday, 16 October.

He said a Navy warship was on regular patrol on 14 October when a suspicious trawler appeared on its radar. Analysis identified the vessels as foreign-flagged trawlers. When the two trawlers tried to flee, the Navy ship detained them inside Bangladesh's waters. The two trawlers were flying the Indian flag and carried 31 fishermen, all Indian citizens.

The trawlers were later brought to Patuakhali, and the trawlers and fishermen were handed over to Kalapara police station for legal action.

Md Jewel Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kalapara police station, said the 22-day ban to protect mother hilsa was in force, and the Navy had detained the two Indian trawlers and 31 fishermen in the Bay of Bengal for entering Bangladeshi waters during the ban. No complaint had been filed yet, and legal action would be taken once one was received. He said all the detained fishermen were residents of 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

Kalapara fisheries officer Apu Saha said the Navy had handed the fishermen over to the police. A regular case would be filed, and the court would decide what happens next in the case, he said.

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