Bhola fishers frustrated with poor catch of hilsa

Bhola fishermen are frustrated with poor netting of hilsa in the Meghna even after fishing all day and night.

Sources said the fishermen are failing to catch adequate hilsa fish from the Meghna River for the last week, triggering frustration among them.

In the district, more than 2 lakh fishermen make a living by catching hilsa fish.

After spending huge of money, the fishermen have to go to the river and return disappointed with two or four hilsas.

Abul Kalam and Haseb Majhi, fishermen of Ilish Machghat in Bhola, said they went to the river after two long months. But they cannot catch the fish worth about Tk 2,000 working hard over the night.

When asked, fisherman Al Amin said he went to the river in the morning.

“Now it is half past three in the afternoon. After eight hours, I netted only three fish. I couldn't even meet the fuel costs of the trip,” he added.

Another fisherman Khaleq said he had gone to the river every day since 2 May with high hopes of netting a good catch, but he is now frustrated.

Many fishermen have stopped going to the river. They are in dire straits with their families as there are no fish in the river.

Bhola District Fisheries Office sources said last two months -- March and April fishing hilsa was banned but in May though the ban was lifted, the fishermen were not getting adequate number of hilsa from the river.

The fishermen at the district ghats, and families are going through a tough time as the catch is not enough even enough to recover the cost of fishing boat trips. Since their catch has not met expectations, they are concerned about the prospects of repaying loans from local lenders and NGOs, said local sources.

During a visit to the spot, this correspondent observed no crowds by the ghats along the riverbank, meaning no buyers. On the one hand, ghat traders are sitting idle, while fishermen are wiling away the hours in spending Ludo, cards or sewing their nets.

District Fisheries Officer HM Mahib Ulla said the reproduction of hilsa was hit by the imbalanced climate change and decreased navigability of the river affecting the breeding spots of the river.

Also catching hilsa fry accelerated the scarcity of mature hilsa in the river, he said.

Members of Coast Guard South Zone conducted 403 drives and seized thousands of maunds of jatka (hilsa fry less than 10 inches in length) and other fishes from the Meghna River under the district during the ban.