Poor hilsha catch disappoints Bhola fishermen in the peak season

Poor hilsha catch disappoints Bhola fishermen in the peak season

Bhola, July 13 - More than five weeks have passed since the authorities lifted the ban on hilsha  fishing, but the poor catch of the delicious fish  from the  Meghna-Tetulia River in Bhola district frustrated the fishermen

Fishermen are returning from the rivers with utmost disappointment and spending their days in extreme distress with their families.

Most of them were worried about repaying the loans they took during the monsoon.

The Fisheries Department said, the desired quantity of hilsha will be available after the water in the river increases a little more.

Locals said, about 30 percent of the country's hilsha is collected from Bhola’s Meghna-Tetulia rivers but this year, but there is inadequate hilsha in the fishermen's nets during the full monsoon. 

Every day, thousands of fishermen go to the Meghna andTentulia Rivers for catching hilsha but they have to return without getting their desired hilsha.

Besides, the price of engine fuel oil of the trawler and other costs were also high, making the fishermen worried.

Some 2 lakh fishermen are  involved in netting hilsha after taking loan from the local mohajan (lenders)in the district.

Due to the poor catching of hilsha and rising costs force the fishermen to leave their ancestral profession, some of them said. 

During a recent visit to the Tulatoli fisheries ghat, the UNB Correspondent found a major portion of the fisheries boxes empty and some were seen bringing fish carrying two baskets.

Besides, the wholesale traders also became worried over the poor catch of hilsha.

According to the district Fisheries Department, last year, some 1. 82 lakh metric tons of hilsha were produced and this year, they have set a target to produce 1.85 lakh metric tonnes of hilsha.

The number of registered fishermen is 1.65 lakh in the district .

Meanwhile, hilsha is out of reach of the middle-to-low income people in the district as four hilsha, weighing around one kg each, is being sold at Tk 7000-8000. 

Biswajit Kumar, District Fisheries officer said, “The hilsha season has begun. Due to the presence of many shoals in the Meghna River, hilsha’s  presence is low. Though in the last few days, the catch was a bit good due to the full moon.”-UNB