As many as 135 Indian fishermen were detained by Bangladesh Navy personnel early on Tuesday for allegedly intruding into Bangladeshi waters and violating that country’s embargo on fishing hilsa in place till July 23.

The trawlers had reportedly departed from South 24-Parganas’ Kakdwip on June 24, nine days after Bengal’s embargo on hilsa fishing ended.

“We heard on Wednesday that 135 of our fishermen have been detained in Bangladesh, and relayed it to the state fisheries department and district administration. The number of people detained at one time is unprecedented,” said Satinath Patra, secretary of Sunderban Samudrik Matsyojibi Shramik Union.

“They did not trespass intentionally, so we request the Bengal government asks Bangladesh to let them off lightly,” he added.

“We are collecting identification details of detained fishermen and making a formal list to be sent to the district magistrate of South 24-Parganas and home department by tonight (Thursday night),” said Jayanta Pradhan, assistant director of fisheries (marine).

A state fisheries official said the home department would contact the Bangladesh High Commission. Fisheries sources said “unintentional border-crossing” was common but detention of over 100 fishermen had not happened before.

“Especially during Hilsa season, when nearly 7,000 trawlers from Bengal alone roam deep seas in the Bay of Bengal, the odds of such an incident are high. We hope this issue is resolved smoothly,” said a fisherman.

“The sheer number of trawlers, as well as cross-currents in the sea, can cause unintentional trespass,” the fisherman added.