BELA urges for ban on illegal nets at JU campus to protect biodiversity

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) sent a formal letter urging the authorities concerned to take necessary measures to immediately ban use of illegal China Duari nets to protect aquatic biodiversity, ecosystem, and food chain of the waterbodies located within and around Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus.

The organisation also demanded that those responsible for using these fine-meshed fishing nets be identified and brought under legal accountability to ensure appropriate punishment.

Recently, BELA came across a concerning report published in a national daily, which highlighted the use of the illegal nets for fishing in waterbodies inside and around the JU campus.

According to the report, such nets are widely used in areas like Sinduria, Mirertake, Dairy Farm, Bishmail Lake, and other nearby waterbodies. These nets, made with extremely fine mesh, are causing serious destruction to aquatic biodiversity. A wide variety of aquatic species, including snakes, frogs, fish fry, and insects, frequently get trapped in the nets. While attempting to escape, their bodies are torn apart, leading to a slow and painful death.

Moreover, birds, both native and migratory, that rely on fish as a food source, particularly kingfishers and herons, are also getting trapped in these nets. As a result, the food chain of aquatic biodiversity is being disrupted, which in turn is damaging the ecosystem.

The report also mentioned that the lakes within the JU have been leased, and leaseholders are using these illegal nets. Furthermore, it has been alleged that university staffers themselves are using these nets in non-leased waterbodies.

According to the existing laws of the country, the use of nets with mesh sizes smaller than 4.5 centimetres is strictly prohibited and punishable by law.