Low Over Bay
Hundreds of fishing trawlers take shelter along coast
Hundreds of fishing trawlers have returned to shore from the deep sea amidst adverse weather; photo: Mohidul Islam.
Strong gusty winds began blowing from Friday morning, whipping up high waves and forcing the suspension of hilsa fishing. Due to the adverse weather, hundreds of fishing trawlers operating in deep waters returned to shore. The trawlers that came back have taken refuge at various coastal locations, including the nearby Sundarbans. This was confirmed by trawler owners, fish traders and leaders of fisheries organisations in coastal areas.
After the end of the 58-day fishing ban, fishermen had only recently returned to the sea, only to be caught in this spell of severe weather and forced back. Having invested hundreds of thousands of taka in each trawler, owners, fishermen, aratdars and fish traders along the coast, including Sharankhola in Bagerhat, are now worried. Fisheries stakeholders fear major financial losses at the very start of the season if weather conditions do not improve within a day or two.
Mohammad Kabir Howlader, an aratdar at the Sharankhola Fish Landing Centre, and trawler owner Mujibor Talukdar said that from Friday morning fishermen stopped fishing and began leaving the sea to seek safe shelter. Once they came within mobile network coverage, fishermen called from the trawlers to report that the sea had become extremely rough.
After hearing forecasts of bad weather, many trawlers were unable to set out to sea despite completing all preparations. These trawlers are currently anchored at the Sharankhola Fish Landing Centre jetty and other nearby locations, and will head out to sea once conditions return to normal.
Sharankhola Fishing Trawler Owners’ Association President Mohammad Abul Hossain said the situation at sea is very dangerous. With strong winds and high waves, it has become difficult not only to cast nets but even to control the trawlers. Due to the risk of accidents, fishermen have been forced to return from the sea. At present, hundreds of trawlers are taking shelter at Patharghata, Mahipur, Nidrashkhina and several locations in the Sundarbans, including Dubla, Alorkol, Meherali and Bhedakhali canals. If the weather does not improve quickly, they will face heavy losses.
Contacted by phone, Ghulam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna District Fishing Trawler Owners’ Association, and Dulal Master, general secretary of the Fishing Trawler Workers’ Union, also confirmed that the sea is rough and that all fishing trawlers have returned to shore.
Sharankhola Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Anjan Biswas said that if the weather persists for several days, the supply of hilsa in the market could decline, leading to an abnormal rise in prices. He also warned of potential financial losses for those involved in the fisheries sector.
