Hundreds of fishing families along the Brahmaputra in Kurigram once lived off the river all year. Now countless chars have risen in its bed and stretches dry out before the season is over. Unable to find fish, many fishermen are giving up the trade of their fathers and grandfathers.

At ghats along the river, Chilmari among them, many boats lie idle while some men knit or mend nets. Fishermen say their nets were once filled with large native fish; now even small puti or tengra are hard to find after a whole day's fishing. Many are living on loans; some have become masons' helpers, day labourers or rickshaw pullers, and others have gone to Dhaka to look for work.

Sushanta, a fisherman on the riverbank, said a whole day of hauling the net did not cover the cost of fuel, and he had been forced to take other work. Anjali of the Jorgachha fishing hamlet said the little fish that could be caught did not sell for enough to keep a household going.

People involved say climate change and shifting weather have altered the river's natural state, disrupting fish breeding, movement and the food chain, while falling navigability is shrinking the habitat of native species. Weather and climate researcher Shamsuddoha Soumik said that over the past two or three years sudden, short-lived floods had replaced the monsoon floods; rain no longer falls in the amounts expected when expected, and heavy rain comes in short bursts.

Experts and local fishers have proposed declaring deep and suitable stretches of the Brahmaputra permanent fish sanctuaries, stopping the use of illegal current nets and China duari traps, and planned dredging to restore navigability. For fishermen forced to change jobs they have urged more VGF support, training in livestock rearing, cottage industries and other livelihoods, and loans on easy terms.

Chilmari upazila fisheries officer Md Emdadul Haque said falling water levels and climate change were disrupting fish breeding to some extent, but regular drives were seizing and destroying illegal current nets and China duari traps, and government training and support for alternative incomes were continuing.

Reported by the Kurigram correspondent of Krishi Shomoy.

Source: Krishi Shomoy