<i>Hilsas scarce</i>
A fishing boat on the river Meghna yesterday. With monsoon at its peak, it is high time the river yields a rich hilsa catch. But fishermen in Chandpur report scarcity of the fish this season. Photo: Alam Polash
Even though a few weeks have passed since hilsa fishing season started, fishermen of the district fail to make good catches of fish.
The Jatka Protection Week ended in May and a lot of hilsa fish is expected in the river this time, said fishermen.
The wholesale fish markets in the area have a small supply of hilsa, much to the worry of the fishermen and traders.
Sources said a small number of hilsa are being netted mostly in current nets but those are being sold at higher prices ranging from Tk 600 to Tk 800 per kg.
The rivers becoming shallow due to siltation and catching of jatka (hilsa fries) violating rules are the reasons behind the scarcity of fish, said the officials concerned.
Suranjit Babu, a fisherman from Madaripur, said they caught 10 to 12 pieces of hilsa throughout the day and this poor amount can't meet the fishing expenditure of about Tk 3,000 for fuel and meals for the fishermen.
The fishermen said small fishermen used to catch around 20 to 30 fish daily but now they are getting eight to ten fish.
But they do not lose hope despite this setback.
They say they have still a long period season ahead and they will be able to catch the desired amount of hilsa.
Comments