Barishal fishermen frustrated at poor catches of Hilsa

Fishermen in Barishal have expressed their frustrations as netting of Hilsa remains poor even after observing a two-month ban to help marine life reproduce and flourish.

Hundreds of fishermen in district were hopeful of a bountiful catch after the two-month ban on marine fishing ended on Friday. However, most of them returned home with much less than they expected.

According to sources at Barishal Fisheries Office, fishermen and their families were passing days in hardship as recent catches were not sufficient enough even to cover the cost of deep sea trips.

“Many fishermen went to the sea after taking loan from wholesaler. Now, they are worried on how they will repay the loan as the recent catches were not so successful,” Harun Mia, a fisherman of Barishal Sadar told The Business Post. During a visit to the fish trading area of the town, it was found that most fishermen were passing idle time as the supply of fish was low.

Abul Kashem, a fisherman of Galachipa upazila, said he along with 20 fishermen went to the deep sea and came back to the shore Tuesday.

However, they could only catch a few Hilsa which will not be enough to repay the loan.

Barishal Fisheries Officer Bimal Chandra Das said Ilish Mokam at Port Road area of the city (largest wholesale market of Barisal) received only 200 maunds fish on Sunday.

At the same time, the price is very high due to low supply, he added.

Hilsas weighting a kilogramme costs Tk 41,000 per maund and export size (between 600gm to 900gm) costs Tk 38,000 per maund, he also added.

Aminul Islam, a fisherman of Kalapara, said he did not see such crisis of Hilsa in last few years.

Hilsa might have changed their abode in the sea, he fears.

Anisur Rahman Talukdaer, deputy director of Barishal Fisheries Office, said Bangla months – Ashar, Shrabon and Bhadro – are peak time of catching the fish.

Every year, the fishermen in the region netted the fish with satisfaction this time. But this year, they had to return from the sea without fish, he added.

Dr Kazi Ahsan Habib, Professor and Dean of the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics at the Faculty of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science in Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), told The Business Post that the impact of climate change have led to lower hilsa catches.

The fishermen should not be worried as the situation will improve soon, he added.