Man held with 1600kg baby sharks

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested a youth along with 1600kg baby sharks, an endangered species, in Bhola Sadar upazila last night.

The arrestee, Md Anis, 20, was trafficking the sharks, said M Hayat Ibne Siddique, a spokesman of coast guard.

Acting on a tip-off, coast guard members intercepted a Chattogram-bound covered van at Ilisha Ferighat and arrested Anis along with 1600kg baby sharks worth Tk 4.8 lakh, he said.

The sharks were buried later, he said. The arrestee was handed over to Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Bhola Sadar for taking legal action, he added.

"Shark is a keystone species that is already endangered. Illegal catching of this species would harm the marine ecosystem a lot," said Md Monirul Islam, a professor of Fisheries Department at Dhaka University.

He also said catching shark in Bangladesh is banned under the Bangladesh Wildlife Act.