Losses mount as rough weather hits post-ban fishing

Mohammad Manjur, along with 22 other fishermen, ventured out into the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of June 12, just after a 58-day fishing ban was lifted.

Their employer had spent about Tk 8 lakh purchasing fuel and food, enough to sustain their fishing trip for around 15 days.

However, they were forced to return to Cox's Bazar Fishery Ghat within just three days due to rough weather at sea.

"The waves were so strong they almost capsized our boat. We couldn't stay out there fighting those violent waves," said Manjur, a resident of Khuruskul in Sadar upazila.

"We caught fish, mostly Bombay duck, worth around Tk 2 lakh, incurring a loss of Tk 6 lakh on this trip," he added.

He said they managed to catch some marine fish, but no significant amount of hilsa.

Delwar Hossain, secretary of the Cox's Bazar Fishing Trawler Owners' Association, said nearly all the trawlers that had gone fishing after the ban were forced to return due to the rough seas.

"Only a few small boats near the shore are continuing fishing," he added.

"Around 29,358 small mechanised boats are involved in fishing across Bangladesh, while Cox's Bazar alone has a total of around 5,000 fishing trawlers," he said.

"About 30 percent of those in the district went out after the ban was lifted on June 12, but most had to come back with losses. Each trawler caught fish worth up to Tk 2 lakh at most," said Hossain.

"The supply of hilsa is very low. Each boat got fewer than 100 hilsa," he said.

"Today is the beginning of the Bangla month Ashar, which we consider a natural fishing ban period. We'll likely have to wait another month before returning to the sea. Even then, the chances of getting hilsa will be slim," he added.

Abdur Rahim, a fisherman from Nuniarchara, said he has been without work for the past two months. "If this weather continues, our lives will become unbearable," he said.

Mohammad Hasan, president of Mistiriparaghat in Teknaf, said all 41 fishing boats at their ghat returned to shore due to bad weather. He criticised the timing of the official fishing ban.

"April to June is our prime fishing season. Imposing a ban during that period harms our livelihood," he said.

Ashish Kumar Baidya, assistant accounts officer at Cox's Bazar Fish Landing Centre, said that from June 12 to June 15, after the fishing ban was lifted, around 48 tonnes of various fish, including about 4 tonnes of hilsa, were caught.

The estimated market value of the fish is Tk 42 lakh, while revenue earned during this period amounted to Tk 46,000, he said.

Fisheries officials said wooden boats have a capacity to carry around 45–50 tonnes of fish inside their hulls.

Catches in the Bay of Bengal have been falling consistently over the past two years, raising concerns, as sea fish account for roughly 13 percent of the country's total annual protein production.

Fishermen caught 628,622 tonnes of fish from the Bay of Bengal in fiscal year (FY) 2023-24, the lowest in nine years, according to the Department of Fisheries (DoF).

Of the harvest, commercial vessels contributed 114,804 tonnes and small wooden boats 513,818 tonnes.

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