Keep foreign fishing vessels out of territorial water

NEWS report said the government is amending the Marine Fishing Act of 1983 with an amendment now at the finalizing stage with the provision of allowing foreign fishing vessels and licensing them for fishing in Bangladesh territorial water in the Bay of Bengal. It is surprising why the government is opening the territorial water to fishing to some regional country at a time when the country’s socio-political organizations are not properly aware of the development in absence of transparency in government decision making or feeling shy least it earns displeasure of the ruling establishments. It is really difficult to understand the policy that aims at helping others at the cost of our own national interest.

We appreciate several rights groups’ move in this regard as they voiced their deep concerns at a rally on Monday in the city saying the step is conspiratorial in nature and to be suicidal to the nation at the end. They have criticized the provision in the Draft Marine Fisheries Bill-2016 to allow foreign vessels to fish in Bangladesh territorial water. Their fear is not unfounded when they say that it will be a total sell out of our marine resources while the nation’s security will also come under renewed threat.

We share the right bodies concerns when they say Bangladesh is yet to carry out survey of marine resources in our seawater. Now the question is that how without knowing the size of the resources why the government is rushing to take any such decision that will allow powerful neighbours to catch fish and exploit other resources. People will not be wrong to believe that such step will virtually surrender the victory in the sea that Bangladesh achieved recently through international maritime arbitration with India and Myanmar. Our government must critically weigh the impact of such action before it finalizes the decision.

The high sea fishing industry of Bangladesh is not quite developed while Thai and Indian trawlers regularly embark upon fishing piracy at outer boundary areas to plunder our sea resources. It is a challenging job to protect those resources in our exclusive economic zones. We know the livelihood of about half a million coastal people of Bangladesh is directly dependent on harnessing sea resources from the Bay of Bengal. We are also developing marine resource based. But since our coastal people don’t have mechanised boats for fishing, foreign vessels will invariably marginalized them in the coast lines. We must say the government should give priority to national interest instead of the interest of others.

So when the rights groups call for scraping keeping foreign fishing vessels away from the Draft Law, they have definitely highlighted the vital national interest and the government must pay heed to it. Any move that stands contrary to our national interest must be shelved. We must say it is not acceptable at all to the nation.