49 fishermen jailed for defying Hilsa fishing ban in Barishal

At least 49 fishermen have been jailed in Barishal over the last three days for violating the ongoing 22-day ban on catching hilsa.

The crackdown, which began on October 13, saw authorities conducting extensive raids across rivers in the region.

According to the Divisional Fisheries Office (DFO), a total of 455 raids were carried out between October 13 and October 16, leading to the filing of 72 cases. During this period, 143 mobile courts were deployed, and fines totaling Tk 3.58 lakh were collected.

Fisheries officials inspected 95 fish landing centres, 726 fish ghats, 1,359 fish farms, and 768 markets across the division. In the process, they seized 2,570 kg of hilsa and confiscated 11.40 lakh meters of illegal netting.

The seized equipment, including boats, was auctioned off, fetching Tk 39,500.

Nripendra Nath Biswas, deputy director of the fisheries department, said that the ban extends nationwide and covers the primary breeding zone, a 7,000-square-kilometer area along the coast. He emphasised that the authorities are using both awareness campaigns and legal action to ensure the success of the 22-day ban.

Additionally, 7,996 metric tons of rice will be distributed to 3,19,830 fishermen across six districts in Barishal during the ban period.