51 fined, 1 jailed for netting fry

A mobile court fined 51 fishermen and jailed another for netting fry in the Panguchhi River in Morelganj upazila on Monday night. They hail from Goraikhali village in Paikgachha upazila of the district. Coastguards conducted a drive in the river around 8:00pm and detained the fishermen while they were catching fry, said Lt Commander Golam Rabbani, staff officer of Coast Guard Mongla West Zone. During the drive, around 1,000 kg fish fry, 400 metres of current net, 10 pump machines and five trawlers were also seized, he said. Later, they were produced before a court that fined 51 fishermen Tk 1,000 each and sentenced the other to three months' imprisonment.