Hilsa floods fishermen’s nets in Char Fasson

The supply of hilsa has suddenly increased in the Meghna and Tetulia rivers in Char Fasson of Bhola. Over the past three to four days, fishermen have caught hilsa in large numbers in their nets. Various fish landing centers including Samraj, Betua, Dhalchar, Khejurgachhia, Panchkapat, Atkapot and Mainuddin have become lively again.

Fishermen are catching up to two to three maunds of hilsa in a single trip per boat. Fishermen who have been facing a shortage of fish for a long time are seeing new hope. At the same time, the movement of wholesalers and fish traders at the landing centers has increased.

During a visit to various landing centers in Char Fasson from Saturday morning, it was seen that baskets full of hilsa were being unloaded from boats returning from the rivers. Most of the fish weighed between 500 grams and 1.2 kilograms.

Fishermen said they had to run their households by taking loans as they had found very few fish in the rivers over the past two months. Some had even pulled their fishing boats and nets ashore. However, with the increased presence of hilsa in the rivers over the past three to four days, the fishing communities have become active again.

Although Coast Guard patrols have been strengthened, some unscrupulous people are still catching jatka using banned current nets. Fishermen believe stricter monitoring and operations are needed to stop jatka fishing and protect hilsa production and breeding.

Betua Ghat fisherman Bellal Hossain said, “Allah has looked upon us with mercy. We returned empty handed for several days. Now we are finding hilsa whenever we cast our nets. We are also getting good prices in the market.”

Md. Akter Member, a fish trader at Natar Sluis Ghat, said the increased fish supply has also brought more wholesalers to the area. A 1-kilogram hilsa is now selling for Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 per kilogram while hilsa weighing 500 to 600 grams is selling for Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,200.

Char Fasson Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Jayanta Kumar Apu said the benefits of various measures taken to protect mother hilsa and prevent jatka fishing during the ban period are now being seen. At the same time, adequate rainfall and upstream water are causing hilsa to enter the rivers from the sea.

Meanwhile, a fishing ban will begin on October 8 to protect hilsa production and breeding. Fishermen have demanded that the ban be postponed by another 15 days. They said the supply of hilsa in the rivers has started to increase. If they are allowed to fish for a few more days under the circumstances, they will be able to recover some of the losses they suffered during the recent shortage of fish.