Immense sufferings hit amid 58-day ban

A fisherman named Rakib Majhi has been surviving for years by catching Hilsha from the Bay of Bengal. However, the recent ban announcement forced Rakib and his family in a dark room.

Speaking to the New Nation, he said, “58-day ban on fishing in the sea has started from midnight of Tuesday. In this regard, we returned to the shore with empty hand following the government’s ban.”

In fact, we have become completely unemployed due to the ban as don’t know what else to do. We have to live in extreme hardship. We have now started repairing the net and trawler.”

Riyaz Majhi said that they will conduct their fishing activities in the sea again when the ban period ends.
A 58-day government ban on Tuesday against all types of fishing including Hilsa fish in the Bay of Bengal in order to conserve of marine fisheries and to increase the breeding and production of marine fish, including Hilsa.

The ban will continue until midnight on June 11.
This has closed the way for earning and made about 65,000 fishermen of southern coastal including Bhola who earn their living by catching sea fish completely.

The same story again reflected by a fisherman named Muhammad Harun, who shared his experience with the New Nation, saying, “Even though we Bangladeshi fishermen did not go fishing in the sea by violating the 58-day government ban on the sea, but Indian fishermen entered Bangladeshi waters for catching fish.”

Fishermen are facing an extreme crisis as fishing is banned in the Meghna and Tentulia rivers in the sanctuary during March-April.

However, at the beginning of the ban, the fishermen demanded that the installments of NGO loans should be stopped, government’s assistance to unemployed fishermenincluding VGF rice should be distributed.

In addition, the fishermen of coastal Bhola region demanded strict action from the government to prevent illegal intrusion of Indian fishermen into Bangladeshi waters during the ban.

According to the Bhola District Fisheries Department, there are 63,954 registered fishermen in the 7 upazilas of Bhola.

Of them, 3,698 are in Sadar Upazila, 11,550 in Daulatkhan, 7,650 in Borhanuddin, 8,804 in Lalmohan, 4,506 in Tajumuddin, 17,561 in Char Fashion and 10,185 in Monpura Upazila of the district.

Journalists after visiting the busiest fishermen areas at various fishing ghats in Daulatkhan and Char Fashion in Bhola district seen that fishing boats with net have returned to the ghats as the 58-day ban on fishing in the seahas been banned.

Some of these fishermen have anchored fishing trawlers to a safe place and started repairing the boat and trawler.

Awareness meetings and campaigns have been held at important fishing ports, including district and task force committee meetings, to implement the 58-day ban in the Bay of Bengal, said Bhola District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Iqbal Hossain.

The district fisheries officer told that we have completed all preparations to implement the ban.

Besides, we started distribution of 77 kg of VGF rice to each fisherman family at the beginning of the ban as government assistance, the DFO added.