At least five law enforcement personnel were injured when a group of fishermen attacked a mother hilsa conservation drive led by Shariatpur-1 lawmaker Sayeed Ahmed Aslam in the Padma River in Jajira upazila today (19 October).
The operation began before dawn and continued for around four hours from the Safi Kazi Mor area of Bilaspur union to Palerchar, with officials from the Department of Fisheries taking part alongside police, Coast Guard and river police personnel.
The situation turned tense at Kalikal Char under Palerchar union, where more than 100 fishermen allegedly gathered and attacked the enforcement team with bricks, sticks and sharp weapons, according to officials involved in the drive.
At least five members of law enforcement agencies were injured in the attack. Their identities and physical conditions could not be confirmed immediately.
Police and Coast Guard personnel later chased the fishermen and cordoned off part of the river char.
A total of 41 fishermen were detained during the drive, while around 200,000 metres of banned fishing nets were seized.
Jajira Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saleh Ahmed said the situation became disorderly after several fishermen were detained.
He said members of the fisheries department and law enforcement agencies were conducting the drive under the lawmaker's leadership to protect mother hilsa, adding that police personnel were still at the scene at the time.
Sayeed said he joined the operation to strengthen enforcement after receiving information that some of those catching mother hilsa in violation of the ban were not registered fishermen.
He said 41 people had been detained since the drive began and warned that those involved in illegal hilsa fishing and trading would be brought under the law.
A 22-day ban on catching, marketing, transporting and storing hilsa has been in force since 8 October to protect mother hilsa during the breeding season.
Despite the restriction, allegations of illegal fishing have continued at several points along the Padma in Shariatpur, while hilsa is reportedly being bought and sold at at least 25 riverside locations.
According to the Shariatpur district fisheries office, around 71 kilometres of the Padma flow through Jajira, Naria and Bhedarganj upazilas.
The district has around 33,000 registered fishermen. Of them, 28,929 whose livelihoods depend on hilsa fishing and trading have received 25kg of rice each as food assistance during the ban.
Shariatpur District Fisheries Officer Biswajit Kumar Deb said mother hilsa move into freshwater rivers during the breeding season to spawn and that the conservation drives are being conducted to ensure a safe environment for spawning.
He said some fishermen were still violating the restriction despite regular drives.
Separately, 41 fishermen have been sentenced to different jail terms in 21 drives conducted across the district over the past 12 days, according to the fisheries office.