5 fishermen jailed for defying hilsa ban

A mobile court sentenced five fishermen to one year in jail and fined them Tk5,000 each for catching ilish, defying the ongoing ban in the Meghna River in Sadar upazila on Thursday evening. 

The convicted identified as Badshah Bepari, Yeasin, Shah Jalal, Sekandar, and Khalil are from Raj Rajeswar area of the upazila. 

District Fisheries Officer Asadul Baki said: "The fishermen were jailed and fined as they violated the government ban on catching, selling and transporting of ilish that started on March.

The ban will be strictly maintained in six sanctuaries, said Md Asadul Baki. 

The sanctuaries are—100 km in the Meghna River from Chandpur's Shatnol to Lakshmipur’s Char Alexander, 90km in Shahbazpur Channel in Bhola, 100 km in Tentulia River in Bhola, 40 km in Andharmanik River in Patuakhali, 20 km at lower Padma (Padma confluence) in Shariatpur and 83 km in the Meghna River (from Hizla to Mehendiganj) in Barisal.