Finance
Hilsa Ban lifted, fishermen facing hilsa shortage
Dhaka, November 11: After a 22-day ban, Bhola fishermen set out to catch hilsa in the Meghna-Tentulia river with high hopes, but were disappointed with the quantity. The fishermen are in extreme distress. It has become difficult for them to make ends meet.
Bhola Daulatkhan Monpur Union Ward No. 1 Madanpur village fisherman Md. Al-Amin said, "After the 22-day ban, we went to the river and did't get more than 2-3 fish."
"I borrowed a lot during the ban. The NGO installment is due. I thought I would get a lot of fish after the ban and pay off all the debts. But far from repaying the loan, it has become difficult to give two handfuls of food to the wife and children."
Sadar Upazila Dhania Union 1st Ward Balia Kandi village fisherman Md. Azad said, "I used to go to the river and catch fish worth 20-30 thousand taka every day after the ban. But this year, after the ban, I go to the river and get fish worth 200-300 rupees every day. This has made it difficult for us to run our family.
Another fisherman said if the government's 22-day ban this year is not right or if mother hilsa cannot lay eggs properly, there will be a crisis of hilsa in the river in the future.
However, World Fish Bangladesh fisheries scientist Dr. Md. Jalilur Rahman said, mother hilsas have left their eggs and gone to the sea, so the amount of hilsa in the river is less. After a while, the amount of fish in the river will increase again.
He added that the timing of the breeding season for hilsa has been right this year. Also in the preliminary study we found that 40-50 percent of mothers have laid hilsa eggs. So there is no need for the fishermen to worry about getting hilsa in the river in future.
It may be mentioned that about 3,00,000 fishermen of seven upazilas of Bhola make a living by fishing in the river. Among them, the number of officially registered fishermen are 1,32,260. This year, the breeding season of Hilsa was scheduled from October 14 to November 4.
