Repeated losses from empty trips to sea have left thousands of fishers, trawler owners and fish traders in Sarankhola and elsewhere on the Bagerhat coast deep in debt. Some have sold their nets and boats to repay lenders, some have left fishing, and some have fled their villages to escape creditors.
Sarankhola trader Sohag Boyati once owned his own nets and trawler. After losses left him about Tk 20 lakh in debt, he sold them and now goes to sea as a hired hand on someone else's boat, still owing Tk 5 lakh. Another trader, Sohrab Talukdar, whose trawler once employed eight to ten fishers, sold his boat and nets cheaply to settle debts of about Tk 15 lakh. He too works as a labourer now, with Tk 7 lakh still outstanding.
Fishers Sajib Howlader of Khaulia village in Morrelganj and Alamin Sikder of Tushkhali in Mathbaria, Pirojpur, said they fish for a share of the catch and borrow to feed their families when the nets come up empty. In this poor season each has run up debts of Tk 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh. In Sarankhola, Jamal Talukdar of Rajeshwar and Omar Faruk of Tafalbari each owe Tk 1 lakh, and Rafiqul Khan of Taltali owes Tk 2 lakh.
Owners say every trip costs Tk 3 lakh to 4 lakh in fuel, food and ice. Trawler owner Halim Boyati said his last trip before the ban cost Tk 3 lakh and the catch sold for Tk 4.5 lakh. Each of the 18 crew got Tk 3,200 as their share and he made no profit at all. To keep going, owners borrow from wholesalers and NGOs and send the boats out again.
People in the trade blame illegal trawling and the unchecked use of shrimp nets for the shortage of hilsa at sea, along with repeated fishing bans, frequent storms and attacks by forest and sea pirates. With the 22-day ban on fishing in the sea and rivers now in force for the main hilsa breeding season, even the chance to pay back loans has gone.
Sarankhola's senior upazila fisheries officer, Anjan Biswas, said every registered fisher will receive 25 kg of rice during the ban. Easy-term loans and alternative work, he said, depend on decisions at a higher level.
Reporting: Bagerhat correspondent, Krishi Shomoy
Photo: Shafiul / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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