Indiscriminate use of current net and chai (fishing trap made of bamboo slits) across the district causes serious harm to indigenous fishes.

The chais and current nets are widely used for six months from June to November of the year when all the low lands, canals, ponds and other water bodies are full of water.

"During the period, huge quantities of fish come with fresh water and mother fishes take shelter in small canals and other water bodies for breeding," said Pritish Kumar Mallik, deputy director of fisheries department in Jhalakathi.

Current nets and chais are set at canals, and other watery lands in the afternoon and the trapped fish are collected in the morning.

All kinds of fish including their fry are trapped by the nets and chais, which drastically reduces the fish stock, said the officer.

"Earlier we used to catch fish with traditional nets. We got huge fishes of different kinds in the water bodies during this time of the year only a decade ago but now fishes are not that available," said Nuralom, a fisherman of Rajapur.

In the past the chais were made keeping sufficient gaps between bamboo splits through which small fishes could pass but now those are made with very little gaps and so, small fish and fry are caught, he added. 

"I lived on catching local fishes but now those are not that available," said Paritosh, a fisherman of Jhalakathi Sadar area.  

Use of such chais and current nets should be strictly checked for saving the stock of indigenous fish, said several fishermen, adding that some varieties have already disappeared from different areas of the area.

"We are operating mobile courts to stop the use of current nets. We are also trying to make people aware about the bad affects of using chai," said Pritish.