Bamboo fish traps in high demand

Nearly 50 families at Bokali village in Faridpur Sadar upazila have been earning their livelihood by making "polo", a bamboo-made traditional fishing traps, for years.

Usually, the demand for bamboo-made traps peaks during monsoon.

During a recent visit to Bokali, a village locally known as Pologram, which is located 6 kilometres from Faridpur town, this correspondent saw people from different age groups, including children, were busy making polos with slits on their courtyards.

Of them, some were seen slicing bamboo, some were peeling those while others were engaged in making polos of different sizes.

Crafted with locally sourced bamboo, this trap is an ingenious and sustainable tool used in traditional fishing practice.

Unlike fishing nets which catch fish indiscriminately, the "polo" allows small and juvenile fish to escape its perforations, while leaving only larger, matured fish to be caught inside the trap. As such, it does not adversely affect fish populations in the waterbodies.

One of the elderly residents of the village Sheikh Asgor said, "My father Seikh Lalu was one of the pioneers in the village, who took polo making as profession."

"Earlier, I used to pull rickshaw-van. But I started making polo nearly 25 years ago for a better living as I was struggling to maintain my family with the poor income," he added.

Homamaker Rabeya Khatun said, "I came to this village about 45 years ago and since then I have been witnessing that most of the villagers are involved in polo making."

"Gradually, I learnt the method from my mother-in-law and now I am earning Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 by selling polo each month," Rabeya said.

Another polo artisan, Sheikh Habi of the village said, "You will hardly find anyone at the village who is not involved in this job."

Jasim Sheikh, a polo vendor at Faridpur town, said he has been buying polos from Bokali village for the last five years as the quality of the item is very good.

"I buy at least 800 to 1,000 pieces of the traditional fishing tool from the village every month," Jasim said.

Garda Union Parishad Chairman MR Haque said polo making has become a heritage of Bokali village and locals feel proud as people from different areas visit the village to buy polos.