By Kazi Sayed

The Bay of Bengal is a blessing for us. The economy of Bangladesh's southern coast is growing richer, and the sea holds endless potential for the blue economy. Worldwide, the "blue economy" is now a new horizon for development. Fisheries, waterways, tourism and minerals together make this sea a vast store of economic growth. More than a lakh people in Bangladesh are directly or indirectly involved in harvesting these resources, and the lives and livelihoods of coastal fishermen in particular depend on fishing in the Bay of Bengal.

The sad reality is that this store of potential is now under threat. Many kinds of banned nets are used for fishing at sea, notably behundi, gora, ber, net, mosquito, dhora and current nets. Behundi nets are used in canals, rivers and from river mouths out to the deep sea, by everything from small dinghies to trawlers. Gora and ber nets are set in coastal rivers and along the shore. Behundi nets made of fine netting are used to catch tiger shrimp fry. Dhora nets catch large prawns. Some fishermen make behundi nets out of mosquito netting to catch medium and small shrimp and bhula shrimp. Coastal fishers use current nets to catch phaisa, tengra, poa and many other species.

Most trawlers go to sea with small-mesh nets (two inches, two and a quarter, two and a half, two and three quarters, three inches), although the minimum should be three and a quarter inches. Aton, buchna and "China duari" nets are also used in coastal canals and wetlands. These fancifully named nets are utterly destructive. Fish of every size get caught in them, leaving no chance for egg-bearing mother fish or fry to escape. The balance of marine biodiversity is being completely broken.

Because these nets are so fine, small and egg-bearing fish and many other marine creatures get trapped and die. Small fish never get to grow, and catching mother fish disrupts the breeding cycle, so fish production falls. In the long run, as fish stocks shrink, ordinary fishing families suffer financially. Beyond that, the loss of fry and creatures at various levels damages the aquatic food chain and will harm the environment as a whole.

The government has already banned such nets by law, but their use has not been stopped. In the fishing season thousands of trawlers and dinghies put to sea along the coast, and many use these nets hoping to catch more fish at low cost. This may bring some short-term profit, but the whole nation bears the long-term loss, because if it goes on our sea will be emptied.

Every year a large share of Bangladesh's marine fish production comes from catching small fry, which are killed in banned nets before they can grow. Not only fish but crabs, dolphins, sea turtles, snakes, insects, algae, coral and other rare creatures are trapped and killed. This destroys biodiversity and seriously damages the ecological balance, obstructing the sustainable use of marine resources and threatening Bangladesh's goal of building a blue economy.

Under government law, behundi nets and other ultra-fine-mesh nets have been banned since 2011. Yet these nets are sold openly in coastal shops, and banned nets are delivered by truck or boat to various points for wholesale buyers. At the root of the problem are a lack of awareness and weak enforcement. Many fishermen do not know the harm these nets do, while those who do know use them for lack of alternatives or supervision. The fisheries department and law enforcers occasionally run drives, but not consistently, so illegal manufacture and marketing carry on easily. Shopkeepers cannot say when the administration last ran a drive against banned nets.

The Nizampur Coast Guard station stands on the bank of the Sonatala river, where fishermen set about a hundred behundi nets at various points. Small-mesh stake nets are set in front of the Kuakata river police outpost. I do not remember when the river police last seized banned nets and burned them. The Andharmanik and Rabnabad river mouths have earned a reputation as the capital of banned nets.

There are allegations that the administration does not run drives during the right fishing season, and that, in collusion with the administration, fishermen are told when a drive will take place so their nets are kept somewhere safe. The nets burned from time to time are discarded or old ones, which fishermen deliberately hand over to the administration.

Effective steps must be taken now to protect the blue economy. First, fishermen must be made aware at local level that using banned nets for short-term gain amounts to destroying their own future. Second, alternative livelihoods must be arranged so that fishermen do not fall into the trap of banned nets. Third, monitoring and enforcement must be tightened, and strict action taken against those who make and sell illegal nets.

We must remember that the Bay of Bengal is not just a fish store but a complete home of biodiversity. Its creatures are closely linked; if one species disappears, the whole chain breaks down, and the effect falls directly on people's lives and the country's economy.

Bangladesh has already made international commitments on climate change and the blue economy, but no commitment will work without implementation on the ground. We must act while there is time. Otherwise the next generation will inherit an empty sea with no fish and no life. The sea will give us salt water and beautiful waves, but no fish. Fishermen will lose their work and the coastal economy will collapse.

The sea is our wealth and our life; protecting it means protecting our future. Illegal nets are doing lawful harm, so a firm stand against all banned nets is urgent. Only then can we make the blue economy sustainable and bring real prosperity to coastal people.

The writer is a journalist.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.