The district and upazila task force has arrested ten fishermen for violating a ban on catching Hilsa fish in the sanctuaries of the Padma and Meghna rivers in Chandpur.

Among those arrested, six fishermen received five-day prison sentences, while cases under the Fisheries Act were filed against four others.

The arrestees are: Mohammad Nasir, 35, Saiful Islam, 23, Shahab, 20, Kabir Hossain, 38, Saiful, 28, and Russell Bepari, 19. The others facing charges are Mohammad Liton, 30, Monir Hossain, 23, Manik, 28, and Mohammad Jamalm, 40. All the fishermen hail from various villages in Chandpur Sadar and Matlab Uttar Upazilas.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Assistant Fisheries Officer of Chandpur Sadar Upazila, confirmed the matter on Thursday (October 31) night.

He said that the district and upazila task force conducted operations from 8 PM on October 30 to 8 AM on October 31. The six arrested fishermen were sentenced to five days of rigorous imprisonment by Executive Magistrate A.R.M. Zahida Hasan through a mobile court at the Coast Guard station in Chandpur.

During the operation, authorities seized 22,000 meters of current nets and 40 kilograms of Hilsa fish from the arrested fishermen. The seized nets were burned, and the fish were distributed to an orphanage, he said.

H.M. Iqbal, Officer-in-Charge of Chandpur Naval Police, regular cases have been filed against them under the Fisheries Act.

Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, Superintendent of Police for Chandpur Region, said no leniency would be shown to those who defy the law, highlighting the importance of protecting the national resource of Hilsa for safe breeding in the Padma and Meghna rivers.

BDST: 2159 HRS, OCT 31, 2024
MSK