As part of the drive, 10 engine-run boats were seized and destroyed for extracting sand illegally from the Halda, Bangladesh’s largest natural breeding ground for carp. From 2018 till Saturday, 2.42 lakh metres of fishing net, nine sand-extracting dredgers and 27 boats were seized and destroyed during 124 drives conducted by the Hathazari Upazila administration. According to the Halda River Research Institute, 26 dolphins have so far died in Halda River since September 2017. The court also asked lawmakers elected from areas near the Halda River to act as advisers to the committee. The official status of the river dolphins, locally known as Shushuk [Platanista gangetica] is “critically endangered” as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 05, 2020 17:26 UTC