Coast Guard arrested 10 fishermen and seized 5,100 kilograms of jatka during an operation in the Haimchar area of Chandpur.
Chandpur Coast Guard station confirmed the matter on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, the team conducted a special drive on Meghna river near Charbhairabi on Tuesday night.
During the operation, officers intercepted and searched a suspicious wooden boat, recovering the jatka which has an estimated market value of around Tk35.7 lakh.
After the arrests, Deputy Commissioner Sajid Haque conducted a mobile court at Coast Guard station. He sentenced each of the 10 fishermen to seven days of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Tk2,000 per person. The individuals were handed over to the police.
The seized jatka was distributed among local orphanages and the destitute by Senior Fisheries Officer Mirza Omar Faruk.
To protect the Hilsa fry, the government has declared a 70-kilometre stretch of the Padma and Meghna rivers in Chandpur as a sanctuary for the months of March and April.
During this two-month period, the catching, sale, hoarding, and transportation of all species of fish are strictly prohibited, with violators facing prosecution under the Fisheries Act.
