Fishermen have gone out to catch hilsa in the Meghna and Tetulia rivers after the ban. They have been on the river since after midnight on 25 October but are not finding the hilsa they hoped for, though koral, pangas, poa and other fish are being caught.

This was learnt from talking to fishermen at the Tulatuli fish landing in Bhola Sadar upazila on Sunday afternoon.

Md Shakil Majhi, a fisherman from the area, said that after the ban ended they went out on the river in groups after 1am, full of hope, and cast nets in the Meghna until dawn. They caught little hilsa but got various other species.

Md Yunus Majhi said he cast his net at around 5am with two other fishermen and, after about two hours, caught various fish worth Tk 3,000.

Md Safiq Majhi, a fisherman at the same landing, said their income stopped during the ban and they got nothing except government rice, so they had to borrow to run their households. He had thought that after the ban he would catch fish worth Tk 30,000-40,000 a day, but that is not happening.

Md Helal Majhi said they are satisfied with the fish they are getting now. If they can catch this much for another seven or eight days, he said, they will be able to repay their past debts and get back on their feet.

The district fisheries officer said fishermen have gone out on the river since the ban ended and are getting the hilsa and other fish they hoped for. He said he hopes fishermen will be able to repay their past debts this year and get back on their feet.

Because it is the main hilsa breeding season, the government banned catching hilsa and all other fish in Bhola's Meghna and Tetulia rivers from 4 October until midnight on 25 October. During the ban, 143,438 of the 168,325 registered fishermen in Bhola's seven upazilas were given 25 kg of rice each by the government.

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