Poor catching of hilsa in the beginning of the season has frustrated the fishermen, fish merchants, investors and ice factory owners in greater Noakhali coastal areas.
Catching of hilsa is started normally from the first week of Bengali month Jaishtha and continued to late autumn.
The fishermen in the district alleged that after lifting of the ban of hilsa netting on June 1, the fishermen started catching fishes again, but they were returning home almost empty handed.
According to locals, a large number of fishermen are going to the river and deep sea with their fishing trawlers to catch hilsa. But most of them are being frustrated due to poor catching of hilsa.
Thousands of people engaged in hilsa trade, including fishermen, trawler owners, ice factories, capital investors and net lenders, have been badly affected by the sudden fall in the hilsa netting carrying processing in greater Noakhali region.
Fishermen said that hundreds of fishing boat and trawler were busy in netting hilsa almost 24 hours at Nalchira, Bhuiyarhat, Sandip, Nizumdip, Alexander, Moju Chowdhury Ghat, Hatiya ghat, Nalerchar ghat, Jahajmara, Sonadia, Rahmat Khali coastal areas of greater Noakhali on branches and estuaries of River Meghna. But poor catching of Hilsa was making them frustrated, the fishermen said
According to locals, the ice factories have gone into operation for producing ice for the processing of hilsa. The whole sellers have opened hilsa purchasing centres. But poor catching of hilsa is making frustration among them.
On the other hand, the price of hilsa fish has gone beyond the purchasing capacity of the common people due to poor catching. Workers at hilsa fishing trade centers of the greater Noakhali are passing their times by playing cards and gossiping.
Sukur Mazi, a hilsa wholesaler of bhuiyar hat in Noakhali fish market, said that since last few years hilsa traders had been facing an acute crisis of hilsa fish during the starting of the season.
Hazrat Ali, a fisherman of Alexander in Lakshmipur district, who went to the bay for hilsa fishing and returned after 12 days, said that they had returned with only one and half maunds of hilsa spending about Tk 1.50 lakh.
He also said that at the same time of last year they managed to net about 60-70 maunds of hilsa per trip.
The traders of the Noakhali-Lakshmipur region who had already invested over Tk 70-80 lakh in hilsa trading in advance this year were suffering from frustration.
They blamed climate changes and man-made disasters for poor netting of hilsa fishes.
Source : New Age
