646 fishermen detained during 22-day hilsa ban in Chandpur
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Authorities detained 646 fishermen in Chandpur for illegally catching fish during a 22-day ban on the Padma and Meghna rivers, enforced to guarantee safe breeding for mother hilsa.
Through 72 mobile courts, district and upazila task forces alongside the River Police sentenced and fined 183 fishermen detained during drives to various terms.
District Fisheries Officer’s office and Chandpur River Police Station confirmed the details on Friday morning.
According to the District Fisheries Officer’s office report, the government banned harvesting, buying, selling, stocking, and transporting all fish species - including hilsa - across a 70-kilometer stretch of the Padma and Meghna rivers stretching from Shatnol in Matlab North upazila to Char Bhairabi in Haimchar from 12 am on 8 October until 12 am on 29 October.
To enforce this restriction, district and upazila task forces carried out 238 drives, collecting Tk 3,96,200 in total fines.
District Fisheries Officer Md Fakhrul Islam reported that personnel seized 2.753 tons of hilsa and 12,01,099 meters of banned nets with an estimated market value of Tk 2,71,80,000. Police filed 161 cases, burned the confiscated nets, and distributed the hilsa to local destitute individuals, madrasas, and orphanages.
Meanwhile, River Police in the Chandpur region detained 463 individuals, releasing 120 minors into their guardians’ custody upon obtaining written undertakings. Police filed regular cases against the remaining 343 individuals. In total, the River Police initiated 132 cases, which included two cases stemming from attacks on River Police personnel.
Chandpur River Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Azamgir Hossain said officers destroyed 30,90,585 meters of current nets in fires after preserving them as evidence for pending cases. Forces impounded 77 fishing boats and distributed 1.320 tons of recovered hilsa to local destitute residents, madrasas, and orphanages.
Following the conclusion of the 22-day ban, nearly 44,000 registered fishermen across the district returned to the Padma and Meghna rivers after 12 am on Thursday to resume fishing for hilsa and other species.
