Fish drying starts in full swing in the Sundarbans

Dublar Char and several other areas in the Sundarbans are now buzzing with activities as a large number of fishermen are engaged in drying fishes after netting them from the sea.

Around 90 species of fishes including rupchanda, bhada, khalisa, churi, ditanas, laitya and different kinds of shrimp are dried in different areas including Dublar Char, Chapra Khalias, Alkorokol, Office Killa, Meher Ali, Majhir Killa, Shelar Char, Kokilmoni, Kaborkhali, Narkel Baria, Bara Amberia, Manik Khali and Chhoto Amberia char areas of the Sundarbans, said stakeholders.

“Before sunrise we go out for netting the fishes, which are processed for drying in the sun,” said Jamshed Ali, a fisherman of Dublar Char. 

“Thousands of fishermen from different areas of the southern region, including Paikgachha, Satkhira, Khulna, Pirojpur, Barguna, Mongla and Rampal make makeshift houses here for drying and processing fishes,” said another fisherman Rasul Sheikh.

“In the next six months we will dry sea fishes here. We get more fish during the new moon and full moon. This dried fishes will be sent to different areas of the country including Chattogram,” he said.

Photo: Partha Chakrabortty

Zainal Abedin, assistant conservator of forest of Sharankhola Range under East Sundarbans, said, “There are 13 centres for fish collection, processing and marketing in Dublar Char fish village, about 120 kilometres from Mongla by boat. Fishermen and fish depot owners go there for drying fish for preservation and sale.”

“The fishermen started leaving for Dublar Char on October 28 with license from Bagerhat Divisional Forest Office and Sharankhola Range Office and around 30 thousand fishermen have already gathered there. We hope revenue collection from the fish drying process this year will be higher than last year's,” he added.

Abdullah Al Mahmud, Operations Officer of the Coast Guard's West Zone (headquartered at Mongla), said, “The Sundarbans has already been declared robber-free. We are extra careful about providing adequate security for the fishermen engaged in processing and drying fish in Dublar Char and other areas.”

Mahmudul Hasan, divisional forest officer of East Sundarbans, said he has visited the spots to see dried fish processing work.

“The fishermen have made temporary houses to stay there for drying fishes. We are supervising the areas so that no unwanted incidents occur," he said.