After a two-month hiatus during the breeding season of crabs, fishermen set sail once more in various rivers and canals of the Sundarbans to resume their crab catching activities.

They set forth after receiving permission from the Forest Department.

The ban, which lasted from January 1 to the end of February, aimed to protect the crab population and ensure sustainable harvesting practices.

Nirmal Kumar Mondal, officer of Kashiabad Forest Station in West Sundarbans, said that crab fishing is prohibited throughout the year in 30 designated canals, declared as sanctuaries, and less than 25 feet wide canals in the Sundarbans.

Photo: Habibur Rahman

However, in other rivers and canals, approximately 15,000 fishermen -- armed with valid pass-permits -- earn a living by catching crabs.

Since the implementation of the crab export policy in 1998, crab fishing pass-permits have been suspended for two months every year.

With the ban lifted yesterday, fishermen are now allowed to resume their activities.

Nirapada Munda, of Koyra-6, has been catching crabs for over 30 years. During the ban, he was forced to sit idly by. Like him, over 70 families of Munda communities of Koyra struggled to make ends meet during this ban.

"I do not have any other jobs. From the very beginning, I applied myself to crab netting. This ban period left me and many others in my locality suffering," said Nirapada.

"During the last two months, I took a loan of Tk 12,000 from a moneylender to support my family. Now that the ban has been lifted, I hope to repay this loan," he added.

Kamrul Islam, a crab fisherman from the Patharkhali area, echoed him.

ILLEGAL CRAB NETTING

Fishermen however alleged that the two-month ban on crab fishing is not maintained by all. Even though crab netting is prohibited during the breeding season, unscrupulous fishermen still enter the Sundarbans with fishing permits and hunt for mother crabs with eggs.

The fishermen demanded that the criminals be identified and that action is taken against them.

Masum Ali Faakir, union parishad chairman of Sutarkhali of Dacope upazila in Khulna, said the forest department was very strict in stopping illegal crab harvesting in the last two months. But due to a lack of manpower, they could not protect all the surroundings areas of Sundarbans.

Mihir Kumar Doe, forest conservator at Khulna Circle, saidforest guards have been directed to intensify patrolling and other activities to ensure that no one gets involved in illegal crab netting by taking fishing permit in the Sundarbans.