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Hilsa minus: Now is the season full of hilsa. Fishermen spend days and nights on the river dreaming of catching hilsa. But not getting enough thread is frustrating to come back. Yesterday on the Burishwar river of Barguna’s Amtali. Photo: Kaler Kantho
Hilsa was not seen in Ashar-Shravan. Now even in the middle of Bhadra, the hilsa is not seen in the coastal rivers, including the Bay of Bengal. Fishermen return from “empty” rivers and seas. Whatever thread you get, the cost does not increase. But now is the season full of hilsa. The price of the hilsa is high in the market.
Fishermen mainly blame the fickle nature of the climate for the hilsa famine. They say the fishermen were indoors for at least 20 days due to the three light pressures and the water upstream. Now the floodwaters flow from the river to the sea. The current of the water upstream is so evident that it is almost impossible to cross it and return to the hilsa (river) sanctuary. Before the flood, the fishermen went to the depths of the sea several times but did not catch the hilsa swarm that way.
Experts say the rising salt content of polluted rivers and water is hampering the flow of hilsa upstream. At the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, the power of a mechanical ship is dispersing the hilsa swarm. Before entering the freshwater of the estuary, the large trawlers are catching small lines indiscriminately without heeding government restrictions. Therefore, the issue of hilsa reduction is a cause for concern.
However, the fishermen of Patharghata in Barguna and Mahipur in Patuakhali are sounding the word of hope. They say thousands of trawlers set sail again on Thursday. Now the Pubali wind blows. In two or four days, the water upstream will fall into the sea. Then the current to the sea will decrease. It is raining heavily. This situation is favorable for the capture of hilsa. Maritime fishermen expect good news to arrive in seven days. You may see threads in flocks.
To guarantee the breeding and catching of marine fish, all types of sea fishing were prohibited from May 20 to July 23 (75 days). After the ban, coastal fishermen went hunting hilsa in the depths of the sea. But most of the fishermen have come back with a bit of hilsa. The fishermen stayed at home for about 15 days as there was slight pressure in the sea three times in a row in August. Upstream water has also been associated with abnormal tides due to the effects of the new moon. As a result, the fishermen could not go fishing in the river or the sea until Sunday.
Yusuf Hossain, a fisherman from the coastal village of Padma, said that water from the river had entered his house at high tide. Without him, there was a signal in the sea. So the fishermen did not go fishing. However, fishermen have been fishing in the river since Thursday afternoon. Most of those who put to sea during the previous light pressure have returned. They say ocean currents are unusual. In this situation, it is not possible to cast a net in the river. Without it, hilsa will not be seen in this stream. So the little trawlers don’t go to the river. However, the large fishing trawlers run the sea.
Jahangir Hossain Khan, owner of Kuakata Khan Fish, told Kaler Kantha on his mobile phone that five to six ounces of fish arrive at this market every day. Fishermen cast nets into the nearby river to catch hilsa. It is sold in the local market. At the beginning of the season 15-20 manas of fish used to arrive at the market. It has decreased due to light pressure and flooding. Fishermen return empty-handed in small trawlers. There is also a shortage of hilsa in the fishing port of Mahipur. The fishermen went to sea on Sunday. They have not returned yet. Then the situation of the sea cannot be said.
A search in fishing villages in Amtali and Taltali upazilas of Barguna has revealed that the owners of the fishing trawlers and the stockists are in debt, as the fishermen are having difficulties with their families, as the hilsa has not been caught in the sea or rivers. Daily sales by commodity traders have declined as fishermen have been unable to obtain fish. Again, many trawlers are sitting lazily on the dock without going to sea because they don’t get hilsa. Apart from this year’s season, some yarns have been seen in the Payra (Burishwar) river of Amtali-Taltali, but it can be said that it is now not available in the full season. Under the 75-day ban and the coronavirus situation, fishermen somehow live without food. Even in the current season, there is no hilsa in the sea and rivers. Gulishakhali Naiyapara Jail. Rafiq Biswas said the fishermen are in trouble.
Sultan Faraji, president of the Fakirhat Fishing Shopkeepers Association in Taltoli and president of the Sonakata Union Parishad, said trawler owners could not afford to send fishermen to fish hilsa in the deep sea spending large sums of money. Mir Mohammad Ali, a professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University’s College of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Sciences, said flood waters from the north had entered the southern part of the country through the Meghna. Apart from that, there have been incessant light to moderate rains in Bhadra due to the new moon and the full moon. That water runs to the sea through the river. Hilsa can be seen in the river as the intensity of the flow of water towards the sea decreases.
Barisal (Hilsa) District Fisheries Officer Bimal Chandra Das said the hilsa was not seen in August due to flooding and light pressure. The small hilsa fishermen were not caught due to the closure and strict surveillance by the administration.
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