A 22-day ban on catching hilsa is in force, and the administration is continuing drives to stop all hilsa fishing. But in defiance of the ban, hilsa is being caught illegally in the Padma at Charbhadrasan in Faridpur using various tactics.

Inquiries found that, in defiance of the ban, hilsa is being caught freely from Bhangar Matha in MP Dangi of Charbhadrasan upazila, through Namurchham-Charshalipur in Harirampur, to the water boundary of Sadarpur. Across this stretch, at least 50 fishermen are catching hilsa by stealth from small boats.

Locals say administration drives and activity are greater during the day, so fishermen catch fish from 8pm to 4am, posting their own lookouts. After casting nets in the Padma, they wait half an hour before hauling them in, and hauling the nets and collecting the fish takes another 20 to 25 minutes.

At around 9pm on Thursday (14 October), 8 to 10 boats were seen fishing between the Gopalpur ferry ghat and the Sadarpur water boundary. Many fishermen were also seen fishing openly with current nets by the light of kerosene lamps.

Mahin Munshi, 60, a fisherman from Munshir Char village in Char Jhaukanda union of the upazila, said there were fewer drives this time. They have been fishing since the ban began, and are not facing much obstruction, he said.

Rahat Hossain, Salam Sekh and Alauddin Kha, fishermen from the Mathabhanga area of Sadar union, said at least 20 fishermen fish at night in their area, and at least 50 fishermen in the upazila are involved in fishing this way.

According to the Charbhadrasan upazila fisheries office, no fishermen have been detained in the past 15 days, though 18 kg 300 g of hilsa has been seized in drives. In that period, 90,000 metres of various nets were also recovered and destroyed.

A member of the Charbhadrasan upazila fisheries association, who did not want to be named, said fishermen learn of the fisheries office's drives in advance through informants, which is why no fishermen are caught during drives.

Upazila fisheries officer SM Mahmudul Hasan said the fisheries office's role in the hilsa protection drive was satisfactory. There are few fish in the river now, so fishermen are going out less, which is why none are found during drives on the Padma. The small budget for drives is also making it difficult to run more of them, he said.

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