Sujanagar Correspondent
Locals of Sujanagar Upazila are in a festive mood as fishing in beels and other water bodies has increased in the dry season. As water level decreases after winter season, people of all ages in Pabna district now are enjoying fishing in local water bodies.
Children and teenagers are passing busy time catching local verities of fishes from almost dried-up ponds, beels and canals. Many of them are using pots, clothes and nets to catch fishes. Amateur fishermen in the area try to catch fishes bear handed meanwhile professional anglers tend to use nets and locally made fishing hooks.
Puti, Shoil, Koi, Magur, Rui and other locally available fishes get caught by the locals. Veteran fishermen said that the fish quantity has heavily decreased at present due to environment pollution.
“In our childhood, we caught many big fishes from these ponds and canals. But due to usages of chemical pesticides there are less fishes in the waterbodies at present,” Azizur Rahman, a fisherman of the area said.Founder of Sujanagar Press Club, Abdus Shukur said, fishing becomes a festival in this area during winter and spring season. But to protect the native breeds of fishes, sanctuary should be ensured in beels to protect fish re-production.
Assistant Fisheries Officer Saiful Islam said, “Sujanagar Upazila has almost three thousand ponds and 16 beels. To increase the number of native fishes, sanctuaries should be available in these beels.
Awareness programme among locals is also needed to protect the fishes.