Cloudy skies, intermittent rain and gusty winds have made the Bay of Bengal rough, sending hundreds of fishing trawlers from different parts of the coast to shelter at the Alipur and Mahipur fish landing centres in Patuakhali. Fishermen who put to sea with fresh hopes after the 65-day fishing ban are now counting losses while tied up at the ghats.

On Thursday morning trawlers from Chattogram, Banshkhali, Bhola and Cox's Bazar were anchored alongside local boats at the two centres. Many had spent several days at sea without a worthwhile catch; others were taking on water, ice and fuel while they waited for the weather to settle. Fisherman Harun Akon Majhi put the number of trawlers that had come in at more than a thousand.

Fishermen said the good catches they had expected after the ban had not come, and the higher price of fuel has added to their costs. Without enough fish, trawler owners and crews are struggling to recover what they spend on fuel, ice, food and wages. Khoyeb, skipper of the FB Badsha from Banshkhali, said his boat went out five days ago and was returning with only a little fish: "We cannot even cover the cost."

Sultan Majhi of Mahipur said his crew had been waiting three days to go out with the trawler, nets and supplies ready, but still had to pay the crew and other costs. Harun Akon Majhi said the losses reach beyond fishermen and owners to fish porters, ice factories, transport workers and wholesalers.

Mizanur Rahman, director of Bhai Bhai Fish at Alipur, said fish arrivals had almost stopped with the trawlers sheltering, affecting supplies not only to local markets but to Dhaka, Chattogram and elsewhere, and he saw little chance of business returning to normal until the weather improves.

Mahbuba Sukhi, officer in charge of the Patuakhali district weather office, said sea ports had been told to hoist local cautionary signal No. 3 because of a low-pressure system over the Bay. Gusty and stormy winds with moderate to heavy rain are possible and the system may intensify further; trawlers and vessels in the deep sea have been asked to follow the latest weather bulletins and move with caution.

The report is by Desh Rupantor's Kuakata (Patuakhali) correspondent Md Bachchu Khalifa.

Source: Desh Rupantor