Bangladesh Coast Guard have arrested 12 fishermen and recovered 4400 kgs of Sharks from a fishing boat in the Baleswar river, Sundarban on 4th February, 2017.
On information, a regular patrol team of the Coast Guard was called out to nab the poachers. ''They found the boat near Harinpala Ecopark and signaled it to stop. The boat attempted to escape, but the Coast Guard vessel was able to intercept it at around 7.30 PM,'' Operation officer of BCG's West Zone, Lieutenant Commander M Fariduzzaman told daily sun.
‘After the search, we seized 4400 kgs of shark from the mechanized boat,’ he said. The patrol team handed over the fishers to Vandaria Forest Office in presence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and officers from the Department of Environment and Forest Department. A case has been lodged with the local police station in this connection.
In the Bay of Bengal, fishers net hundreds of tons Sharks and Rays every year which include many endangered species. But Shark fishing is illegal in the Sundarban area.