A mobile court arrested 18 fishermen, seized fishing boat and nets on Monday night from Madanpur of Meghna river sanctuary area under Daulatkhan upazila of the district for defying the government’s ongoing two-month ban on all kinds of fishing including catching of jatka (hilsa fry).
 
Later, the mobile court sentenced 15 of them to different terms of imprisonment, two fishermen were fined Taka two thousand and one fisherman was fined Taka five hundred.
 
District Fisheries Officer Md. Abul Kalam Azad said a total of 18 fishermen were arrested with one fishing boat and one pijal (nets) during the drive from the river of Meghna sanctuary area.
 
Assistant Commissioner (Land) Munni Islam conducted the mobile court and sentenced 15 fishermen to different terms of jail and fined three fishermen with Taka 2500, he said.
 
The government has imposed a two-month ban starting from March 1 on all kinds of fishing in two sanctuaries covering an area of 190 km of Meghna and Tentulia rivers in Bhola.
 
The prohibition, enforced by the district and upazila task forces, aims to preserve the aquatic ecosystem and boost hilsa production.