Fishermen in Jhalakathi began fishing in the rivers at midnight on 25 October after the end of the 22-day ban on catching hilsa. During the ban they fell deep into debt, so they are busy fishing now that it is over.

To protect mother hilsa, fishing had been banned on the Sugandha and Bishkhali rivers in the district. The district administration and fisheries department ran strict drives throughout the 22-day ban that began on 4 October, during which all fishing was prohibited at 18 points along 18 km of the two rivers.

Fishermen said they had completed all preparations to go fishing and were delighted to be back on the river after the long break. Egg-laden mother hilsa are still being caught in their nets. During the ban, poor fishermen got by under a burden of debt and struggled to support their families. They spent the last week mending nets and repairing boats. Having lost their livelihood, they faced great hardship. Now that the ban is over they are smiling with hope, though they are worried about the amount of hilsa in the river and the price.

Fishermen said that being unable to fish for 22 days left them without work, and many ran their households on loans from moneylenders (mahajans) and NGOs.

Fisherman Akter Hossain said: "We stayed off the river during the ban. Now that it has been lifted we have gone out fishing. I hope we will catch plenty of fish."

Fisherman Md Abul Hossain said fishermen went out on the river at midnight on Saturday with their nets and other gear after the ban ended, but they are under heavy pressure from their loans. They saw little hilsa in Jhalakathi's rivers this season, and many could not cast their nets because of bad weather, so they are suffering big losses.

A fisherman named Golam Mostafa said coastal fishermen have not seen good times this season. Because of poor hilsa catches and the ban, most fishermen have turned to loans. Now that the ban is over, everyone is hopeful.

District fisheries officer Joydeb Pal said that during the ban, 355 drives were carried out through 108 mobile courts under the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950 against illegal fishing in various places. These seized 652 kg of hilsa and 1,221,200 metres of illegal net worth Tk 2,64,10,400. In 30 cases, fines of Tk 23,000 were imposed and 23 people were jailed. Thirteen boats were auctioned, raising Tk 62,100.

He said that as part of the drive, fish landing centres were inspected 64 times, fish ghats 149 times, wholesale stalls 477 times and markets 508 times. Because this year's drives were successful, he expects fishermen to get the hilsa they hope for now that the ban is over.

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