Fourteen fishermen have been jailed for various terms for catching hilsa on the Rajbari stretch of the Padma in the past 24 hours in defiance of the ban. The Department of Fisheries also seized 29 kg of hilsa, 99,000 metres of current net and two boats.

Rajbari district fisheries officer Md Mahbub Ul Haque confirmed the information at around 3pm on Saturday, 11 October.

He said nine drives were carried out on the Padma in Rajbari over 24 hours with the help of the district and upazila administrations, fisheries staff and law enforcement agencies. Fourteen fishermen were detained, and 29 kg of hilsa, 99,000 metres of current net and two engine-driven fishing boats were seized. A mobile court then jailed the detained fishermen for five to 20 days, and the two seized boats were sold at auction for Tk 61,000. The seized nets were burnt and the fish were distributed to madrasas.

In the eight days of the ongoing mother hilsa conservation campaign, the administration in Rajbari has so far detained 41 fishermen and jailed or fined them for various terms, and has earned Tk 97,000 by auctioning three seized boats.

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