With the end of the 22-day ban on fishing in the sea, relief has returned to the fishermen of Sonagazi, the coastal area of Feni. Fishermen once again set sail with a new dream. With the end of the ban, relief has returned among the fishermen, hoping that they can live comfortably with their families by harvesting fish from the sea.
On Friday (November 3), such a picture was seen on the surface in Jelepara of the coastal area of Sonagazi.
According to the information of Sonagazi Upazila Fisheries Office, the number of fishermen registered in Sonagazi is 1 thousand 624 people. Among them, the number of fishermen who catch hilsa fish is 250.
Krishnadhan Sardar, a resident of Jelepara, said that during the ban, we got only 25 kg of rice, which is not enough for our family. More than 500 members of 85 families have to live a difficult life in this prison. There are 10 big engine fishing boats here. Besides, there are 70 small boats. Now the excitement has returned among the fishermen to go fishing again.
Local fisherman Nayan Das said, once the ban starts, there is no end to our suffering. Not being able to engage in alternative professions in a short time, one has to live a miserable life with the family. At this time it is more difficult to pay the weekly installments than to feed or support the family.
Rabindra Kumar Jaldas, another fisherman, said that in the current season, we found relatively less hilsa in Feni coast. Among them, sitting at home for a 22-day ban. We have been preparing to go fishing in the sea for the past few days. It has brought life back to the lifeless fishing villages.
Shahzada, a local fishing trawler owner, said fishermen in Feni use thread nets. On the other hand, an unscrupulous gang came from outside Feni and caught fish with 250 to 300 boats using prohibited current nets in the estuary. This affects our fishermen.
In this regard, Upazila Fisheries Officer Turya Saha said, “I have worked regularly from the field level including carrying out operations during the ban to protect hilsa.” Various initiatives have been implemented to make fishermen aware. Hopefully Hilsa will produce as expected.
District Fisheries Officer Billal Hossain said that 25 kg of rice was given to 250 fishermen of Sonagazi during the ban. Besides, 6 fishermen have been jailed for violating the ban. At that time the fisheries department was trying to stop fishing in the sea.
It should be noted that the fisheries department imposed a ban on fishing for 22 days from midnight on October 11 to 12 midnight on November 2 to protect mother hilsa during the breeding season.
