Bagerhat Correspondent :
Fishermen of Dubla dry fish village in the Bay of Bengal under the Eastern Division of Sundarban forest in Bagerhat district are in great trouble due to the acute scarcity of different species of seasonal fish in the Bay of Bengal and prevailing of severe cold spell in the south-western region of the country.
Due to severe cold spell, the fishermen are not in a position to catch fish from the sea at throughout the day. On the other hand, illegal intrusion of Indian fishing boats in the water territory of Bangladesh and catching fish from there by them became almost a regular feature. This is one of the major factors for the dearth of fish in the Bay of Bengal. For all those reasons many fishermen will have to return home from there in empty hands.
Shahanur Rahman Shahin, Organizing Secretary of Dubla Fishermen Group disclosed the newsmen, in every dry fish season fishermen of Dubla used to catch fish like lobsters (including shrimps and prawns), Churi and Loyatta species in huge quantities from the Bay of Bengal and dry them at Dubla fisherman village. Fish of those 3 species is the main cash production of Dubla dry fish village and it is a very profitable business. Besides Dubla dry fish village ( of Sundarban forest), dry fish is also processed at Kuakata, Patenga, Banshkhali, Maheshkhali, Teknaf etc places of the coastal areas of The Bay of Bengal and fish like prawn, Lottya and Churi are the main raw materials of dry fish industry.
Dry fish is sold abundantly in the markets of the home and the abroad. So, the fishermen and the dry fish traders invest lot of money in the dry fish industry. But this year the picture is quite different. Fish is being caught in the fishing nets of the fishermen in the Bay of Bengal is mainly Khaira, one kind of inferior quality fish which is less valued and less tasted and its market price is very poor. On the other hand, the quantity of Loyatta and Churi fish are being caught in the fishing nets is very poor in quantity.
So, all those (from a day labourer to a fisherman and from a marginal fish trader to big fish trader) who are involved in fish dry industry will have to incur heavy losses in the current dry fish collection season. It has already affected the dry fish industry at Dubla dry fish village where Taka several hundred crores were already invested by the fish traders. As a result, the total dry fish economy of Dubla fishermen village is badly affected. But it will not affect the forest department, according to the opinion of Abdul Halim, station officer of Dubla patrol outpost. He disclosed, the forest department earns revenue from the fish caught by the fishermen on the basis of quantity but not on quality.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary , Dubla Fishermen Group told the newsmen, fishermen of a neighbouring country intrude in the water territory of Bangladesh and catch fish from there illegally very often. As a result, the fish depot of the Bay of Bengal within our territory is gradually becoming fish less. He added, fishing trawlers based on Kakdip of the West Bengal intrude in the Bay of Bengal within Bangladesh territory unabatedly and catch all kinds of fish from Raymongol area to Gangmati tributary of Kuakata almost daily.
Not only that but also those fishing trawlers could not be checked from catching fish from the water territory of Bangladesh even during the time of banning the catching of our national fish hilsa in the months of October and November, 2016 for long 22 days.
Fishermen of Dubla dry fish village in the Bay of Bengal under the Eastern Division of Sundarban forest in Bagerhat district are in great trouble due to the acute scarcity of different species of seasonal fish in the Bay of Bengal and prevailing of severe cold spell in the south-western region of the country.
Due to severe cold spell, the fishermen are not in a position to catch fish from the sea at throughout the day. On the other hand, illegal intrusion of Indian fishing boats in the water territory of Bangladesh and catching fish from there by them became almost a regular feature. This is one of the major factors for the dearth of fish in the Bay of Bengal. For all those reasons many fishermen will have to return home from there in empty hands.
Shahanur Rahman Shahin, Organizing Secretary of Dubla Fishermen Group disclosed the newsmen, in every dry fish season fishermen of Dubla used to catch fish like lobsters (including shrimps and prawns), Churi and Loyatta species in huge quantities from the Bay of Bengal and dry them at Dubla fisherman village. Fish of those 3 species is the main cash production of Dubla dry fish village and it is a very profitable business. Besides Dubla dry fish village ( of Sundarban forest), dry fish is also processed at Kuakata, Patenga, Banshkhali, Maheshkhali, Teknaf etc places of the coastal areas of The Bay of Bengal and fish like prawn, Lottya and Churi are the main raw materials of dry fish industry.
Dry fish is sold abundantly in the markets of the home and the abroad. So, the fishermen and the dry fish traders invest lot of money in the dry fish industry. But this year the picture is quite different. Fish is being caught in the fishing nets of the fishermen in the Bay of Bengal is mainly Khaira, one kind of inferior quality fish which is less valued and less tasted and its market price is very poor. On the other hand, the quantity of Loyatta and Churi fish are being caught in the fishing nets is very poor in quantity.
So, all those (from a day labourer to a fisherman and from a marginal fish trader to big fish trader) who are involved in fish dry industry will have to incur heavy losses in the current dry fish collection season. It has already affected the dry fish industry at Dubla dry fish village where Taka several hundred crores were already invested by the fish traders. As a result, the total dry fish economy of Dubla fishermen village is badly affected. But it will not affect the forest department, according to the opinion of Abdul Halim, station officer of Dubla patrol outpost. He disclosed, the forest department earns revenue from the fish caught by the fishermen on the basis of quantity but not on quality.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary , Dubla Fishermen Group told the newsmen, fishermen of a neighbouring country intrude in the water territory of Bangladesh and catch fish from there illegally very often. As a result, the fish depot of the Bay of Bengal within our territory is gradually becoming fish less. He added, fishing trawlers based on Kakdip of the West Bengal intrude in the Bay of Bengal within Bangladesh territory unabatedly and catch all kinds of fish from Raymongol area to Gangmati tributary of Kuakata almost daily.
Not only that but also those fishing trawlers could not be checked from catching fish from the water territory of Bangladesh even during the time of banning the catching of our national fish hilsa in the months of October and November, 2016 for long 22 days.
