16 firms get nod

The government has given the approval to 16 firms to bring vessels to catch tuna and pelagic fishes beyond the 200-metre depth of the Bay of Bengal and in the international waters, said officials of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Of the 16, nine got the permission to catch tuna and seven for seine fishing to catch pelagic fishes beyond the 200-metre depth, said a senior official of the ministry.

Seine fishing is a method of fishing that employs a fishing net called seine that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats.

Nou Kollan Foundation Trading Company and Nou Kollan Shipping Lines, welfare enterprises of Bangladesh Navy, got permission to operate two long liners and two purse seiners to catch fish in the deep sea.

Some firms are connected to people of the ruling party Awami League, said insiders.

Ministry officials said businesses that got clearance are required to submit specification of vessels and project profile to the Department of Fisheries (DoF) within six months to bring the ships for licences.

Until now, five have submitted their specification.

“We expect that the rest of the firms will also submit their papers,” said Md Towfiqul Arif, joint secretary (blue economy) of the fisheries ministry.

Mahbubur Rahman, chief executive of Al Rafi Travel Trade, said his firm along with three others that got approval to bring purse seiner vessels to catch pelagic fishes in the deep water had submitted documents last week.

The rest of the firms are yet to submit the required documents to the ministry, although three months have passed since the permissions were granted.  

Fishing in deep sea is a new area for business.

“There are prospects. We are considering going for a joint venture,” Rahman said, while declining to give further details.

Industry insiders said Bangladesh is yet to introduce long line fishing, a commercial fishing technique to catch tuna and other fish species in the deep water.

So, some local investors remain shy about proceeding fast as they do not have any idea of the stock of tuna in the deep part of the Bay and prospects of returns on investment.

“We are actually exploring. We are doing our due diligence,” said Sameer Sekandar, proprietor of Diamond Fisheries, one of the nine firms that were awarded approval for long liners.

He said those who have got permission for long liners are related to the fishing industry.

“So, we are taking time. We really want to do something great,” Sekandar said.

There is perception among some that high investment would be required. But $2-$4 million may be needed to buy a long liner, he said, adding that he will submit specification and other documents within the next 30 days.

AK Sarkar, executive director of Karnaphuli Ltd, said they are trying to form a consortium with other companies that have got permission to bring long liners for tuna fishing. AL lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury is the managing director of Karnaphuli Group.

The government took the step to explore sea resources as Bangladesh got the right to fish in 118,813 square kilometres area of the sea and trawl up to 200 nautical miles into the Bay of Bengal after a verdict from an international tribunal in 2014.

The country has also become a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to explore tuna at the outward boundary of its 200 nautical miles. In 2016, the fisheries ministry gave consent to four firms to do long line fishing but cancelled three of the permits in April this year for their failure to submit specification and other papers.

As per provision, the firms have to submit specifications, proforma invoice and project profile within six months of getting approval and import or build the vessels within two years of approval.

Marine catches accounted for 15 percent of total fish production at 41.34 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2016-17. Of the total marine catch, industrial trawling was 2.62 percent, according to the DoF.