Mirzaganj Correspondent
Hilsa fishes are not seen even in the season full of Payra River in Mirzaganj of Patuakhali. In other years, amount of hilsa was adequate in the fish market of the area at this season, but this time the picture is different.
In Mirzaganj Upazila, 2,018 government-registered fishermen make a living by fishing. There are also hundreds of unregistered fishermen whose families go fishing for Hilsa. Every day, fishermen descend into the Payra River with nets, trawlers and other equipment, including boats, in the hope of catching fish. But, even though the full season has started this year, it goes without saying that low amount of hilsha are being found in the area. In this situation, the fishermen are living a dehumanized life with their families.
Fishermen Mosaref Akon, Sohrab Fakir and Malek Sikder of East Mirzaganj village in Payrakunj area near Payra river said their only occupation was to sell hilsha and make a living from it. At monsoon season, they earn majority of their yearlong income by catching Hilsa. So, they took boats and nets with loans from various banks and NGOs and went down to the river. But they are returning home disappointed as they did not get any fish even after throwing the net all day. In desperation, many fishermen do not want to go to the river to catch Hilsa. Most of the fishermen are again spending their days in fear of bank and NGO loan installments.
They also said that Hilsa catching in the river had been stopped for so long and they could not do any other work in the lockdown. The help they have received from the government is much less than the demand. Now they do not have to eat with their families.
It can be seen in different markets and terminals of the upazila that there is not much Hilsa are for sell in the markets. Meanwhile, the price of Hilsa caught in fishermen's nets in the river is beyond the reach of ordinary buyers.
Shah Kamal Fakir, proprietor of Payrakunj Moin Uddin Fish Warehouse, said that last year, on such a day, 80-129 kilos of fish used to come to the warehouse daily. And now, they are getting less than 10 kilos of Hilsha per day. And the price is lot higher because of the fewer amounts. HIs family survives by selling fish. But in the condition of the fish in the river, it seems that the family business is at risk.
Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Mohammad Tanzimul Islam said Hilsa was not available due to increased salinity in the river water due to low rainfall this year. In addition, due to the killing of juvenile fish through illegal nets, the rise of large chars in the river and the death of the mouth of the river, the Hilsa fishes are not able to travel freely. As a result, the reproduction of Hilsa is decreasing. However, he seemed hopeful that Hilsa will be found in Payra River as expected in a few days.
