The government's 58-day ban on catching fish in the coastal sea off Patuakhali ends at midnight today, 11 June. After two long months, more than half a lakh fish workers in Kalapara upazila are making final preparations to fish the deep sea again.

On the afternoon of Thursday, 11 June, the Alipur and Mohipur fishing ports and the fish landing centres were a hive of activity. At the same time, a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has left fishermen somewhat anxious about the weather.

At the landing centres, floors were being scrubbed clean for fish sales, scales were being tidied and repaired, and cork sheets and other equipment for keeping fish were being readied. Fish wholesale depots, closed for a long time, were being washed, and ice factories had started producing ice with fresh energy.

Fishermen were busy preparing nets, ropes and other gear, while boatmen were testing trawler engines and finishing last-minute repairs. Most trawlers plan to set out for the deep sea as soon as Thursday midnight passes.

Kalapara has more than half a lakh fish workers, including 18,309 registered fishermen. With sea fishing completely halted during the ban, which began at midnight on 14 April, most fishermen fell into severe financial hardship.

Fisherman Rahman Biswas said the rice received as government support ran out within a month, after which many had to rely on borrowing and loans to feed their families. Many registered fishermen alleged that irregularities in the distribution of government support had deprived them of what they were entitled to, and demanded that food aid be distributed transparently and properly.

A Kuddus, boatman of the sea-going trawler "Ma-Babar Doa", said: "We have got the chance to go to sea again after a long wait. If the weather is good, we will set out for the deep sea to fish from Thursday night. We hope the ban will mean plenty of fish this time."

Kamal Bepari, owner of the trawler "Mayer Doa", said large sums were spent repairing and maintaining trawlers during the ban and many had fallen into debt, so a good catch in the new season would make it possible to recover the losses.

Fishermen expect that the ban has boosted fish breeding, so that large quantities of hilsa and other sea fish will be caught from tomorrow. This has brought new hope to fishermen, trawler owners, wholesalers, ice factory owners and related traders.

According to the Kalapara fisheries office, about 33,000 tonnes of hilsa and other sea fish were landed at the Alipur and Mohipur fishing ports and other depots in the upazila last fiscal year. In the current fiscal year, however, the amount has fallen by almost half.

Apu Saha, senior upazila fisheries officer in Kalapara, said: "We hope the 58-day ban has ensured fish breeding. If the weather is favourable, fishermen will get good catches. This will largely make up the production shortfall, and fishermen and fish traders will see a profit."

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