BARISAL: Twenty five fishermen have been detained in separate drives in the district from Thursday night to Friday morning for catching Hilsa defying the government ban.

Sources told banglanews that mobile courts sent 15, among the detainees, to jail for one month.

However, the detainees were identified as residents of Sadar, Hijla and Muladi upazilas, sources added.

District Fisheries Officer (DFO) Waheduzzaman said that mobile courts, in an overnight drive on Thursday, detained those fishermen for catching Hilsa from the rivers Meghna, Kirtonkhola and Arial Khan – adjacent to the mentioned areas.

“The court later at noon sentenced 15 fishermen to serve one month jail term,” he added.

Nevertheless, mobile courts in last couple of days have sentenced more than hundred fishermen to jail in connection with violation of Hilsa fishing ban in Barisal division.

Fisheries Department, on October 5, imposed the 10-day ban not to catch Hilsa with a view to ensure safe spawning of the National Fish during the peak breeding period.

BDST: 1320 HRS, OCT 10, 2014