Dhaka, Oct 10 (IANS): Fishermen have started catching hilsa on the Meghna river after a 15-day ban imposed by the Bangladesh government expired, the media reported on Saturday.
The government banned catching hilsa from September 25 until October 9 that coincided with the spawning season, bdnews24 reported.
Fishing trawlers started looking for the fish since the expiry on Friday midnight.
The ban is imposed during this time of the year to allow proper breeding that would boost its production.
Meanwhile, 291 fishermen were detained in Chandpur district for catching hilsa during the ban, authorities said.
A total of 829 kg of the fish were recovered from the detained fishermen during the ban, an official said.
A fine of 190,000 taka ($2,445) was imposed on 34 fishermen for violating the ban and another 257 were sentenced to various terms in prison, he added.