They race like horses in the hope of silver hilsa. Fighting nature and the heaving waves of salt water, they must go far out into the deep sea and survive storms, rain, squalls and a hundred other hazards. These are the trawlers that coastal fishermen take to sea to catch hilsa, and out there the trawler becomes the fishermen's only companion for survival. How is a hilsa trawler built, where and how is it repaired, and what is its life cycle?

Hilsa trawlers are built to be fast. Against the currents of a rough sea they can make 20 to 22 kilometres an hour, and 35 to 40 kilometres an hour with the current. They use reconditioned engines from well-known companies such as Suzuki and Isuzu.

Depending on the size of the trawler, the engines are usually of 140 to 290 horsepower. Hilsa trawlers are generally 40 to 60 feet long and 14 to 15 feet wide. They are built in local dockyards along the coast from timbers such as garjan, chambal and trishul.

Several craftsmen work on a trawler in turn. The carpenter starts the job by making the frame. Planks are then fixed to it one after another to form the hull, and gradually the bow, the chandina, the cabin, the kitchen and the toilet are added. Building the hull takes ten workers about a month. Then cotton wicks are driven into the gaps between the long planks, work known locally as "gaini". It is done very finely with a slender iron tool and a hammer.

When the gaini work is finished, the puttying begins. A sticky putty is made by mixing kerosene with resin (dhup) and water. Coal tar is then applied to the underside of the trawler. After several coats, a layer of mud is plastered over it. Once the mud dries, heat from a fire is applied under the hull to fuse the tar with the wood of the lower part, which makes it durable. Then the engine is fitted, and the propeller is attached to it. The man who fits the propeller is known locally as the "bush mistri".

Painting comes last. There are separate craftsmen for gaini, puttying and repair, and painting. Local dockyards charge about Tk 1,000 a day for each trawler under repair, so a trawler that stays 15 days pays Tk 15,000 in dock charges alone. A carpenter's wage is at least Tk 1,000 a day.

Seagoing trawlers are built in all the ordinary dockyards of the coastal districts. But in the part of the year when there is no hilsa fishing, building and repair work is in full swing. Most owners have their trawlers repaired then, and some have new ones built. The owners take the opportunity to hire idle fishermen at low wages. Many fishermen work back-breaking hours in the hope of going to sea on a new trawler, and they often do repair work for nothing. Boatmen and fishermen feel that a good, new, brightly decorated trawler brings as much joy as new clothes at Eid.

Hilsa trawlers carry enough ice to preserve the catch. Besides nets, ropes, sickles and buoys, they carry everything the fishermen need, including some essential medicines, saline, drinking water, food and puffed or popped rice. Everything needed is kept on board, because the trawlers stay at sea about 15 days away from land. Then they come back to shore with their holds full of fish, and the area around them rings with shouting and calling. It is like returning from a war won.

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