Staff Reporter :
Defying the government ban, some fishermen are catching Hilsa fish at midnight in the different rivers including Padma and Meghna to avert arrest.
As combined operation is carried out at the daytime in the rivers, some fishermen refrained from netting Hilsa fishes during that time.
Dodging the fisheries department, navy, air force, coast guard, police, river police, RAB, BGB, district and upazila administrations including the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, the fishermen continue to net Hilsa fish.
When night falls, several fishermen become active to net hilsa in absence of the mobile court and patrol duty of coast guard and police.
Apart from these, a section of dishonest employees of the fisheries department and sources, alert the fishermen about the ensuing drive. Locals urged the administration for conducting drives especially in the night to nab the fishermen.
“A section of unscrupulous fish traders engaged in earning money by any means and sources appointed by the fishermen, remain vigilant about our movements. When we get ready for operation, they informed the fishermen,” Abu Sayeed, fisheries officer, Goalundo Upazila told journalists.
He said a mobile court on Wednesday conducted operation at Doulatdia, Debgram, Bahirchar, Dhollapara, Kushata, Rakhalgachi and Antar Crossing arrested at least seven fishermen.
Besides, a mobile court awarded one month’s jail to 19 fishermen each for violating government ban on fishing Hilsha Fish during its breeding time in Barguna district.
During a drive in the Bishkhali River, the members of the coast guard arrested them from Laldia and Zintola area. Coast Guard officer Lt Hasanur Rahman told journalists that they have held 20 fisherman from two trawlers owned by one Zakir Peda and one Mosta Farazi with three lakh meters net.
Earlier the government imposed a ban on the catching of hilsha fishes from October 12 to November 2 on a vast area of 7,000 square kilometers along with twenty-seven districts in the country for conservation of mother fishes during its high breeding season.
Apart from the hilsha breeding grounds, all the activities including procurement, marketing, buying, selling, transportation and hoarding of hilsha would be stopped for 22 days across the country.
During the 22-day period, a massive combined operation would be carried out at all the fishery ghats, warehouses, hat-bazzars and chain-shops across the country.
The 18 districts where the ban are: Chandpur, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagerhat, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Manikganj, Munshiganj and Rajshahi.
Some fishermen told the journalists that they compelled to catch hilsha fish due to the influence of unscrupulous fish traders who are engaged in earning money by any means.
Fishermen of Munshiganj district formed human chain alleging they are not getting rice as per government commitment.
“As the authority asked us to refrain from netting, we did not go for fishing. But as we are not getting rice, we are facing livelihood challenges,” a fisher said.
Talking to journalists another fisherman said though each fisherman is supposed to get 30 kilograms of rice during the ongoing 22-day ban, they have not got the rice yet.
According to Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Munshiganj, the process is on to distribute the sanctioned rice among the fishermen.
District Fisheries Office sources said, of the total 9,729 registered fishermen, 2,435 are in Munshiganj Sadar, 1,972 in Gazaria, 1,994 in Sreenagar, 1,047 in Tongibari, 992 in Sirajdikhan, and 1,289 in Louhajang upazilas.
Besides, 2,231 are VGF card holders and 2,708 are hilsa-netting fishermen. Of the VGF car holder fishermen, 513 in Sadar, 392 in Sreenagar, 516 in Louhajang, 291 in Tongibari, and 519 in Gazaria upazilas.
In Manikganj a total of 9,729 fishermen of the district registered by the District Fisheries Office have not got the rice.
On the other hand, each fisherman containing the Vulnerable Groups Feeding (VGF) card is to get 40-kg rice in each month from November to June, but actually they are getting the rice only for four months. As a result, the workless fishermen have expressed frustration as they are not getting the allocated rice.
The contribution of hilsha to country’s total fish production is 11%, the highest as the single species. A total of 5 lakh people are directly involved while 20-25 lakh indirectly with the catch of hilsha fish in the country.
The catch of hilsa has risen significantly this year thanks to better management during the fish spawning season, enhanced vigilance against hilsa catching, marketing and trading during the ban period and increased frequency of drives against offenders.
