33 fishermen jailed for defying Hilsha ban in Manikganj

A total of 33 fishermen of the district were jailed and fined, in different drives, for catching Hilsha, the national fish, defying a government ban on its catching, selling and transporting.

Earlier, the government imposed the ban to ensure the safe spawning of Hilsha fish during its peak breeding period, the Department of Fishery Manikganj District sources said.

"After starting the banning period, a total of 6.04 lakh metres of current net seized from the Padma and Jamuna rivers, so far," District Fisheries Officer (DFO) Md Saifur Rahman said, adding that Tk1.4 lakh fine money
were realized by the arrested fishermen for violating the government order.

Sixty kilograms of Hilsha were seized during the last 24 hours, the DFO said, adding, "A total of 61 cases were filed against the fishermen who violated the ban of Hilsha fishing."

As part of regular drives, Deputy Commissioner Rahana Akther also conducted a long drive on the Padma and Jamuna rivers. During the drive, 140 kilograms of mother Hilsha and 3.99 lakh meters of current net were seized.

At that time, Tk67,000 was taken as from the fishermen who violated the ban imposed by the government.

The seized current nets were burnt and the fish were distributed among the inmates of government Shishu Paribar and madras students, the DFO added.

Earlier, the government allocated 200 tonnes of rice for 8,000 fishermen families in three upazilas -- Harirampur, Shibalaya and Daulatpur -- of the district during the Hilsha fishing ban and the allocated rice has already
been distributed among the listed poor fishermen families, Saifur Rahman said.