BANGLADESH

About 28.5 tonnes of Hilsa fish have been seized from the coastal area in Chittagong district on the second day of the 11-day ban on catching Hilsa.

The fisheries department and Chittagong zone coastguards conducted a special drive in the sea, adjacent to Kutubdia and Anwara areas in the early hours of Friday and seized the Hilsa and 12 fishing boats.

None was arrested in this connection.

Chittagong zone coastguard official Lt Commander Jasimuzzaman told that some of the seized Hilsa was distributed among orphanages and the remaining sold on auction.

He also said they seized 10,000 metres of fishing net worth Tk 70,000 from Kalatali and Himchhari areas of Cox's Bazar district on Thursday night.

A mobile court of the fisheries department conducted a drive in Karnaphuli Market at Sholoshahar in the port city for the second consecutive day on Friday morning.

District fisheries official Pravati Dey told that all sorts of transport, sale and stock of Hilsa and Jatka (juvenile Hilsa less than 23 centimetres in length) are prohibited during the 11-day ban on Hilsa catching.

She said they fined some Hilsa traders of Karnaphuli Market Tk 17,000 for defying the ban.

To increase Hilsa fish production, the government on Sept 27 imposed a ban on Hilsa catching at four points of seven districts for 11 days, starting from Oct 6, during the main breeding season.

The restricted four points, stretching 7,000 square kilometres of waters, are Shaherkhali-Haitkandi in Chittagong, Uttar Kutubdia-Gondamara in Cox's Bazaar, Uttar Tazumuddin-Pashchim Syed Awalia in Bhola and Latachapli in Patuakhali.

The government said the offenders would be jailed by the mobile court for one to six months with a minimum fine of Tk 1000. In case of violating the ban again after being convicted, the punishment would be double.

Mobile courts are conducting drives in the rivers and bazaars of Bhola, Patuakhali, Lakkhipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar districts to enforce the ban.