Hilsa fishing: Riverine fishermen demand VGF support amid poor catch

Despite the end of the two-month ban on hilsa fishing in rivers, fishermen along the coastal region are returning empty-handed.

River-based fishermen are now demanding inclusion in the vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme, similar to sea-going fishermen, during fishing bans.

Officials of the Department of Fisheries in Barishal division cited climate change, in addition to the ongoing ban on sea fishing, as major reasons behind the declining catch.

Alauddin Majhi, a fisherman from Charfassion in Bhola, said even after the fishing ban ended on April 30, their two trips to the river yielded very little. "We can barely cover our expenses. Each trawler costs between Tk 50,000 and Tk 80,000 to operate, but we're catching just two to three maunds of fish, which doesn't even cover fuel costs," he added.

According to the Bhola District Fisheries Office, there are 89,600 registered riverine fishermen in the district, alongside 65,000 sea-going fishermen. From April 15 to June 11, sea fishing was restricted for 58 days, during which each sea fisherman was allocated 78 kilograms of rice. However, there has been no such allocation for river-based fishermen.

Israel Pandit, president of the Barisal Divisional Khuro Matsajibi Samitee, said, "Fishermen are returning from the rivers with nothing. Their families are suffering immensely, and no one is paying attention. Just like the sea-going fishermen, river fishermen must be brought under the VGF allocation."

Meanwhile, although the first two months of the four-month-long VGF allocation for jatka conservation were distributed, the remaining two months' rice has yet to reach the fishermen -- more than 20 days after the ban ended.

"There are almost no fish in the rivers now. At the very least, some rice would bring relief to these struggling fishermen," said Ershad Farazi, general secretary of the Bangladesh Small Fishermen's Association in Bhola.

Bhola District Fisheries Officer Bishwajit Kumar Deb acknowledged the drop in catch but said the situation is expected to improve.