Shawdesh desk:

A mobile court arrested 20 fishermen along with current nets, fishing boats and Hilsha for violating the government’s ongoing 22-day ban on Hilsha fishing conducting separate drives in different points of Padma and Meghna rivers here in the last 12-hour.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chandpur Naval Station Md. Kamruzzaman said a total of 20 fishermen were arrested with 103 kgs of mother Hilsha, eight fishing boats and 1.22 lakh meters of banned current nets during the drives in the river Padma and Meghna in the district.

The mobile court sentenced six fishermen to 10 days imprisonment each and 10 fishermen were sent to the jail with filing a case and rests four juveniles were released as they were minor, he said.

The government has imposed a 22-day ban starting from October 7 on catching, selling, storing and transporting Hilsha, to ensure safe spawning of the Mother Hilsha, during its peak breeding period.

The seized boats and nets were destroyed and 50 kgs of Hilsa has been stored in cold storage and rests of the 53 kgs of Hilsha has been distributed to the local orphans.