The ban is enforced on hilsa extraction, transportation, storage, marketing, buying, selling and exchange for 22 days

A mobile court has fined eight fishermen for catching hilsa fish or Ilish in the Meghna River at Charfashan Upazila in Bhola on the third day of a government ban.

Fisheries Department officials arrested ten fishermen and seized two trawlers and 200 metres of nets from them during a drive in Samraj and Betua areas of the upazila early Sunday. 

Later, Charfashan Upazila Executive Officer Md Al Noman released eight of them after realizing Tk20,000 as fines. Two others were pardoned for being underaged.

Md Maruf Hossain, senior fisheries officer of Charfashan Upazila, said that they had burnt down the seized nets.

The ban is enforced for 22 days on hilsa extraction, transportation, storage, marketing, buying, selling and exchange from October 7 to October 28 to ensure the uninterrupted breeding of hilsa.

This total fishing ban would be valid in 7,000 square kilometres of hilsa breeding grounds at six sanctuary points of seven coastal districts from Chandpur to different river estuaries to avoid complicacy.