A mobile court has sentenced 30 fishermen to 18 days in jail each for catching mother hilsa in defiance of the government ban in the Meghna River in Haimchar upazila of Chandpur.
A total of 32 fishermen were detained during a joint drive conducted by the upazila administration, fisheries department and Coast Guard from Thursday evening until around 11:45pm.
Haimchar Upazila Assistant Fisheries Officer Md Mahbub Rashid confirmed the matter to UNB on Friday.
He said Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Md Nazrul Islam conducted the mobile court late Thursday night after returning to the upazila headquarters following the drive.
The 30 fishermen sentenced to jail were sent to prison on Friday, while the two others, both minors, were released into their guardians’ custody after providing written undertakings and receiving warnings.
During the drive, authorities also seized around 100,000 metres of illegal current nets, which were burned and destroyed on the riverbank on Friday.
Besides, the 24 kilogrammes of mother hilsa seized during the operation were distributed to a local orphanage.
UNO Md Nazrul Islam said drives on the river were continuing to enforce the government-imposed ban and ensure the uninterrupted breeding of mother hilsa.