Home ›› 07 Mar 2022 ›› Nation
Fishermen are experiencing a drastic decline in diversity and quantity of local fish resources in the natural water bodies of Moulvibazar, including one of the largest wetland ecosystems of north-eastern Bangladesh, the Hakaluki Haor.
According to the Department of Fisheries (DoF), the annual demand for fish in the district is 47,427 tonnes but the fishermen could net about 5,000 tonnes of fish until now this year from its main water body, Hakaluki. The figure was 6,000 tonnes last year.
Whereas the district produced 51,451 tonnes of fish in the 2020-21 fiscal year and 50,518 tonnes in the 2019-20 fiscal year, this year the quantity would be much less, anticipated the district’s fisheries officer, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.
“As the fishing season is on, we are yet to calculate the actual quantity of the fish netted this year. Hakaluki Haor produces about 15,000 tonnes of fish every year, and around 7,500 tonnes of them usually get produced in the Moulvibazar part of the water body,” he said.
Among the total 373 haors in the country, Hakaluki Haor is one of Asia’s larger inland freshwater wetlands, with 80 inter-connected freshwater seasonal beels, says a research article published by the Department of Fisheries, the University of Rajshahi in January, 2021.
According to DoF, Hakaluki is evenly distributed in the administrative area of the Fenchuganj and Golapganj in Sylhet, and Baralekha, Juri, and Kulaura of Moulvibazar. Hakaluki Haor is designated as an ecologically critical area because a number of species from this ecosystem have already gone extinct, DoF officials said.
Before extensive exploitation of this haor, it had a plentiful supply of aquatic resources and provided shelter for brood fish in winter as it was covered by swamp forest, said Fisheries Officer Mizanur.
However, fish species diversity in the haors has significantly declined owing to a variety of factors, including habitat loss as a result of agricultural intensification, urbanisation, environmental degradation and pollution, the overexploitation of resources, and climate change. Adding to that, the wetlands have dried up due to inadequate rainfall this year, which contributed to the fish decline in the haor, said the fisheries officer of the district.
He further said that currently, there are about 15 temporary fish sanctuaries in Hakaluki. “We have applied to the authorities concerned to establish permanent fish sanctuaries in the wetland so that the fishermen get more fish in the fishing season. We are also planning to re-excavate the wetlands encompassing the district, including Hakaluki,” he added.
Moreover, the sand deposition from upstream rivers has further dried up the swamp forest to a barren and consequently reduced the fish species diversity and production of fish by destroying important safe breeding habitats for fish and other aquatic animals. Furthermore, a failure to prevent illegal fishing has added further pressure to the fish stocks in Hakaluki Haor, locals alleged.
Piar Ali, a fish trader of the area, said a limited quantity of fish was produced from the wetlands as the water level in the haor is significantly low this year.
Sofol Miah, a fish trader who came to the area from Sreemangal, told The Business Post that he had a good sale last year, but he is anticipating a loss this year. “The fishermen are not being able to get a good catch as the fish production is less in the wetlands.
“Moreover, the price of large and local species fish has increased due to the supply deficit, and we are not being able to buy them in bulk. Even if we do, the consumers will not pay such a high price, so we are anticipating a loss,” he said.
Meanwhile, the fish traders also alleged that a syndicate of wealthy fish traders from Sylhet is buying the exquisite and rare quality fish from the fishermen at high prices, and that is why they are not getting a chance to profit from their small investments.
As per the governments’ regulations, the authorities concerned are directed to lease out the wetlands to different fishermen cooperative societies comprising of marginal fishermen of the district. However, under some unscrupulous business owners’ influence, the names of the marginal fishermen only remain on the papers, while the wealthy fish traders reap the benefit of the wetlands, fishermen of the area claimed.
