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Fishing ban leaves Bangladeshi fishermen all at sea

Two-month suspension pleases conservationists but leaves breadwinners struggling to support families
Fishing ban leaves Bangladeshi fishermen all at sea

Fishermen are on boats docked in the Shamlapur area of Cox’s Bazar district in this June 2014 file photo. Bangladesh has imposed a two-month ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal that has hit thousands reliant on the industry. (Photo by Rock Ronald Rozario/ucanews.com)

Published: May 30, 2019 05:06 AM GMT
Updated: May 30, 2019 05:12 AM GMT

The Bangladeshi government’s unprecedented two-month sea fishing ban has hit thousands of fishermen in the country’s long southern coastal zone.

Lamenting their loss of livelihood and pondering alternative means of survival, many have taken to the streets to protest against the ban in recent days.

Protesters have demanded the ban be shortened and fishermen get allowances from the government while they cannot go fishing.

The government imposed a ban on fishing from May 20 to July 23 in the Bay of Bengal in line with Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1883 (amended in 2015) to ensure the smooth breeding of fish.

In April, the Department of Fisheries sent out an order to fisheries officers in 19 coastal districts to implement the ban and take action against those who violate it.

Although a praiseworthy move in terms of conservation and increasing fish stocks, the ban has faced criticism for having no apparent rehabilitation program for thousands of vulnerable fishermen.

It came into force just weeks before Muslim-majority Bangladesh is to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr festival in the first week of June.

Hosen Ahmed, 39, a fisherman from Cox’s Bazar district, said the ban has jeopardized his nine-member family.

“I have seven children and I am the only bread earner for the family. If I cannot go fishing, my family will starve,” Ahmed told ucanews.com.

Although the Muslim man has not taken part in any protests demanding an allowance or curtailing of the fishing ban, he is pondering what he can do to feed his family.

Ahmed earns 500 to 4,000 taka (US$6-48) per day when he is at sea working as a laborer on large fishing boats.

“I have been a fisherman for 20 years and my forefathers did the same job. The only thing I can do is become a day laborer and earn some money for survival,” he said.

Rehabilitation important

Nurul Islam, 36, a fishing boat owner in Cox’s Bazar, recently started work at a shrimp hatchery to recover from his loss of livelihood.

He used to make about 5,000 taka from each catch after paying laborers and buying fuel, but his new job pays only 300 taka a day.

“I have a small boat and a net for fishing, and I used to employ four people every day. After cutting all costs, I had some money in hand to support my family well. I am now doing a low-paying job to survive,” Islam told ucanews.com.

Islam admitted that Rohingya refugees from camps in Cox’s Bazar also worked as laborers on his boat.

“Rohingya work as fishing laborers on boats and trading posts to earn money secretly. There is no fishing and no money, so they have returned to the camps,” he added.

The government should consider rehabilitation of fishermen while undertaking such initiatives, said Jibon D. Das, regional director of Catholic charity Caritas Khulna, which covers southern coastal districts.

“This fishing ban is a good move, but it should have good planning and guidelines for effective implementation. It is important to ensure smooth breeding of sea fish, but it is also important that people who rely on fishing must get some support for survival during this period,” Das told ucanews.com.

Although Caritas does not have much scope to assist fishermen affected by the ban, it can include some of them in various projects, he said.

“Our projects and beneficiaries are predetermined, so there is not much we can do to help these vulnerable fishermen. In our existing projects, if there are opportunities for cash or food for work, they will be included as well,” he added.

A fisheries official said the government is considering giving allowances to vulnerable fishermen during the ban period.

“We have sent a proposal to higher authorities to bring these people under the Vulnerable Group Feeding program during the ban,” Mollah Emdadullah, fisheries officer in Patuakhali district, told the Daily Star newspaper.

Bangladesh imposes sporadic fishing bans in the deep sea and coastal rivers, but this is the longest ban covering shallow seawater and all types of fishing boats.

Every year, the government imposes a weeks-long ban on fishing for hilsa, a herring species found aplenty in Bangladesh. Hilsa is the most popular fish in the country and regarded as its national fish.

The hilsa fishing bans and the creation of several fish sanctuaries in coastal rivers have helped to increase the hilsa catch by about 150 percent since 2004 and turned it into a US$2 billion industry.

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