12 fishermen jailed for violating hilsa fishing ban

CHANDPUR, Nov 03 (UNB): Twelve fishermen were jailed for various terms in Chandpur on Tuesday for catching hilsa flouting the ongoing fishing ban.

District Fisheries Officer Asadul Baki said they also seized nearly 2.5 maunds of hilsa and 600,000 metres of Current Jal during their drive.

A 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting hilsa came into effect from October 14 to protect hilsa with eggs. The ban is effective until Nov 04.

This is the peak period when hilsas release eggs.

Hilsa has the highest contribution in the country's fish production, the government says. It contributes to more than 12.09 per cent to the country's fish production.

Earlier, the two-month government ban on catching, selling and transporting of hilsa began on March 01 and ended May 01.