Fishermen happy over netting Hilsha

Dupchanchia(Bogra) Correspondent :
A huge number of Hilsha, national fish, are being netted in different points of the mighty Jamuna and Bangalee River under Sonatola, Sariakandi and Dhunot upazilas of Bogra district for the last few days as the fish came back in the river after a long gap making the fishermen and consumers happy.
Around 360 families of the three upazilas are catching fishes from the very beginning of the month of October for managing the family expenditure.
Concern official sources said, the recent conservation efforts of the government resulted in an increased migration of Hilsha from the Bay of Bengal to Bogra, Gaibandha and Sirajgonj district through the both Jamuna and Bangalee Rivers during the season. A lot of fishes are found in and around the breeding ground areas indicating a positive impact of ban on Hilsha fishing during breeding period, source added. The poor and marginal fishermen residing along the river in Bogra and Sirajgonj districts have become busy in fishing and marketing the catches with the reappearance of Hilsha causing a matter of happiness amid them. A fisher man Mukul Hossain at Shalikha village of Sonatola upazil said, a good number of wholesalers from different parts of the country including capital Dhaka are rushing to the catching points of the valuable species of Hilaha fish purchasing in a standard price from the fishermen round the clock.
A fisherman Abdul Nannu son of Suruz Ali said to the correspondent, “I personally earn Tk 900 to Tk 13, 00 per day after netting Hilsha to the nearby kitchen market.” “Now, I am financially solvent catching and selling the costly fish in the season and I manage to cost my two school going children daily.” he added. A teacher of collage Abdul Awal said, “I found a large supply of fresh Hilsha from the Jamuna River caught by local fishermen but a few years ago there was hardly any Hilsha caught in the River rather we had to depend on the supply from Barisal or other part of the country”
 “Hilsha availability in Bogra district had drastically fallen in the area as the fish stopped migrating to the Jamuna, largely due to over fishing of brood Hilshas and reduction in water flow in the river.” he added. Fisheries officer Maksudul Islam said, “The Hilsha availability was decreasing tremendously over the last decades for increasing fishing pressure and environmental degradation.” “The fishes are also found in plenty in the spawning grounds and adjacent areas and thus it is assumed that fishing ban had positive impact on the successful breeding of other fishes and the fishing ban should be in force during every breeding season in the years to come for sustainable reproduction of Hilsha.” he added.
 When contracted, Rawson Ara Begum, district fisheries officer, said that a ban on catching Hilsha fish was effected from September 25 to October 9 last and the 15-day ban was found effective for successful breeding of Hilsha everywhere in the area. Around 14, 00 fishermen have been fishing Hilsha since October 10 last and more than 30 to 40 mounds are being netted every day, she added.