SHARIATPUR, Oct 23, 2021 (BSS) - A joint team of mobile court in separate
drives arrested 12 fishermen along with current net and Hilsha fish in the
last 24-hour from the rivers of Padma and Meghna in the district.   

  According to the district fisheries offices, a total of 12 fishermen were
arrested with 227 kgs of mother Hilsha and 3.86 lakh meters of banned current
nets during the drives in the rivers Padma and Meghna.   

  The mobile court sentenced 11 fishermen to one-year imprisonment each and
one fisherman fined Taka five thousand for defying the government's ongoing a
22-day ban on Hilsha fishing.  

   The joint team of mobile court includes officials of Fisheries Department,
District Administration, Upazila Administration and members of the law
enforcement forces.   

   District Fisheries Officer Pranab Kumar Karmakar said the seized nets were
destroyed and the Hilsha has been distributed to the orphanages, madrasas and
poor people in the area.   

  The government has imposed a 22-day ban starting from October 4 on
catching, selling, storing and transporting Hilsha, to ensure safe spawning
of the Mother Hilsha, during its peak breeding period.