A total of 32.5 lakh metres of illegal fishing nets were seized during a joint drive by the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard in the Karnaphuli River area of Chattogram, with an estimated market value of about Tk 312 crore, according to the ISPR.
The operation was conducted in the Dangarchar area under Karnaphuli Police Station based on secret information that illegal nets had been stockpiled there.
During the drive, law enforcers recovered a large quantity of banned nets from a godown named “Sea Heart” in the presence of a fisheries officer. Additional nets were also seized from two abandoned trucks at the scene.
At the end of the operation, the nets were destroyed in the presence of the fisheries official.
The drive is part of ongoing efforts to enforce the government-declared 58-day fishing ban and prevent the catching of jhatka.
Authorities said such operations will continue to protect the country’s fisheries resources and curb illegal activities in coastal areas.