Chattogram Bureau :
There is no alternative of amendment to the newly formulated marine fisheries law-2020 . This was disclosed at the press meet of the Marine White Fish Trawler Owners Association held at Chattogram Press Club yesterday morning. The leaders of Association have demanded amendment of various sections, sub-sections, sub-conflicting and conflicting issues of the new Marine Fisheries Act. General Secretary of the Owners Association Md. Tajuddin Taju, Senior Vice President Syed Ahmed, general secretary, Joint General Secretary Mohammad Noor Nabi, Co-President Didarul Alam Chowdhury, Members Saiful Islam Bulbul, Jasim Uddin Haider, Masud Akhter Chowdhury, Engineer Monowar Hossain, Mubarak, Abdul Mannan, Md. Kamal, Nazmul, Alauddin, Rashed, Nasir, Saju, Rubel, Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, Abdul Majid, Nasir Uddin,were present among others.
General Secretary Tajuddin read out a written statement at the press conference. The present government repealed the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983 and enacted the Marine Fisheries Act 2020 in the National Assembly on November 18. Reflecting the demands of the time, the new law is unrealistic and conflicting and against the fundamental rights of the people. During the enactment of this law, no discussion or opinion was taken the stakeholders of different classes and from professions of marine fishermen. As a result, chaotic situation has arisen. The provisions of the new law have been laid down in such a way as to facilitate the officers in duties to take speed money and resort to dishonest means. The new law provides for severe punishment for minor offenses. Many clauses conflict with the country’s customary criminal law. For the most part, the subsections are not business-friendly for fishing traders but a conspiracy to destroy investors.
It was informed at the press conference that there are 258 big fishing trawlers with steel and wooden bodies in Bangladesh. There are more than 30 skippers, engineers, sailors and officers in a single trawler.
Due to the strictness of the new law, all concerned including skippers, engineers, sailors, officials and all the stakeholders working in marine fish trawlers stopped fishing at sea on December 5 and they returned to the port.
Trawler owners have to bear the running costs of trawlers on the one hand and the global corona epidemic and the risk of paying off bank loans in installments on the other, which will be extremely difficult to deal with. There is no alternative of making the new law realistic and universal by discussing it with the concerned classes, professions and organizations.
Meanwhile Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association also held press conference at Chattogram Press Club on Monday demanding amendment to new fisheries Law . The skippers, sailors, captains of these steel and wooden bodies deed sea trawlers launched indefinite work stoppage till the new fisheries law are amended, the press was told on Monday.
