The reproduction of native fish is diminishing in Haor areas due to lack of heavy rain. The fish breeding process is also hampered as the unplanned construction of dams obstructs the entry of fresh water into many Haors, particularly in Sunamganj.
Fishermen and fisheries officials are in doubt about meeting the production target of fish in the haor areas this year.
According to experts, fisheries officials and fishermen, after a certain period of time, the water in Haors will decrease further as excess water can’t enter many Haors due to unplanned dams. In such a condition fish will not get a chance to grow.
Abdul Hye Al-Hadi, chief of the environmental organisation Movement to Save Saree River (Sari Nodi Bachao Andolan), on Friday told the Bangladesh Post that downpour during the monsoon is needed for biodiversity and survival of fishes in rivers and waterbodies.
According to the Bengali calendar, it is now the month of Ashar. Usually at this time, rivers and waterbodies remain full to the brim. But this time in most of the haors water is not adequate.
As a result, there has already been a shortage of native fish in Sunamganj district. On the other hand, the reproduction of fishes is being hindered. For this reason, many fishermen are worried as fishing is their main source of livelihood, reports our Sunamganj correspondent.
Fresh water and fishes are the blessing for the people of Haor region. Like Sunamganj, a number of local people are engaged in fishing in Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrakona and some other districts.
Fardul Mia, a fisherman of Ajmeriganj upazila in Habiganj, told our Habiganj correspondent that he could have caught fish worth Tk 600-700 daily in previous years as the Haor had five feet water. This year, Haor has only knee-deep water. So, he can catch fish not more than worth Tk 200 from Haor with nets all day this year, he said.
Moshiul Alam Azad, chairman of Lakhai Upazila Parishad, said dumping waste in many rivers, including Sutang river, is also blamed for decline of fish production in the district.
Talking to the Bangladesh Post on Friday Nazrul Islam, district fisheries officer of Habiganj, said that less rainfall compared to previous years hits the production and breeding of fish in the district.
On the other hand, Ripon Kumar Paul, district fisheries officer of Kishoreganj, said that the fish production could be increased this year if there was heavy rainfall. However, this year’s target of fish production in the Haors of the district would be fulfilled, he added.
About one lakh tonnes of fish is produced from Haors of Sunamganj every year. In the current financial year, the target was to increase it to 1 lakh 3 thousand tonnes. However, it will be difficult to achieve the target, said sources.
Md Sabibur Rahman, Executive Engineer of Sunamganj Water Development Board (WDB), said that the rivers and Haors of Bangladesh did not receive adequate water this time due to lack of heavy rain in Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura states of India. He, however, said that this time there may be a flood situation in Sunamganj at the end of the monsoon.
Mohammad Ali, a resident of Dekhar Haor area of Sunamganj, said that he got local fish only a day in local market in the last four months from March to June. Moreover, the price of fish in the market is also high, and all that is available is farmed fish.
A fisherman named Abul Mia said that he had cast his net from morning to afternoon. But he could not catch fish worth Tk 150-200 all day. In the previous year, fish worth Tk 500 was caught in Haor in a couple of hours. If this situation continues, the native fish in the Haor will become extinct.
Salehin Chowdhury Shuvo, executive director of Haor Area Upliftment Society (HOUS), said that fish breeding in Haors is being severely disrupted due to lack of water. At the same time, the normal flow of fish has been stopped due to dams built to protect the crops of the Haor, especially in Sunamganj, he added.
Seema Rani Biswas, a fisheries officer in Suanmganj, said that alongside the lack of adequate water, another major obstacle to fish breeding is the construction of unplanned and unnecessary dams in Haors. The native fishes can’t move to their desired places. As a result, different species of fish including Pabda, Golsha, Kai and Magur can’t lay eggs in the right place, she added.
She, however, said that even after that it is still possible to keep the native fish alive if the use of current nets can be stopped.
Our Netrakona correspondent also reports that fish production in the Haor of the district is being hampered due to lack adequate water.
