Fishers and fish workers of Hatiya, an island upazila of Noakhali, held a human chain and protest demanding an end to Indian fishers' dominance in catching mother hilsa in the rivers and sea.

Several hundred local fishers and fish workers took part in the programme at Kazir Bazar ghat in Char Ishwar union at noon on 26 September. They also demanded a change to the period of the government ban on fishing to protect mother hilsa.

The protesting fishers said Bangladesh and India impose bans at different times to protect mother hilsa. As a result, while Bangladesh's ban is in force, Indian fishers enter Bangladeshi waters and forcibly take the fish.

The fishers also said hilsa carry no eggs during the period of the Bangladeshi ban, so the ban fails. Not only fishers but also depot owners, traders and fish sellers in local markets suffer losses because of it.

Local fish trader Abdul Halim Azad said the government has banned catching hilsa and all other fish in the Padma and Meghna rivers and the Bay of Bengal from midnight on 3 October to 12 midnight on 25 October to protect mother hilsa. The news has cast a shadow of despair over coastal fishers and fish traders.

Hilsa are not being found in the expected numbers in the Meghna and the Bay of Bengal off Hatiya, even in the peak season. In other years the river and sea are full of hilsa at this time, but this year fishers' nets are not catching the fish they hope for, leaving thousands of fishing families in distress.

Local fisher Haridas Sardar said: "Even if there is hilsa in the sea or river, it is not caught as before. We got some fish recently, but everyone is worried about the ban. Last year the ban began on 12 October, but this year it has been brought forward to 3 October. We demand that this date be reconsidered."

Trader Abdul Halim Azad, Haji Nurul Islam and Akbar Hossain were among the fishing community leaders, fish workers, traders and family members at the human chain.

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