‘There’s no fish there’
"It's useless to go to the sea or the river. There's no fish there," said a fisherman from Shibpur village in Bhola Sadar.
At first, the words may seem overly dramatic. However, during a visit to the fishing village of Shibpur, this reporter found rows of idle fishing boats moored along the banks of the Meghna River.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Fishermen said the sharp decline in fish stocks has discouraged them from venturing out to the water. The situation has become so dire that many were forced to borrow money just to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha this year.
Despite the hardship, nearly every household in the village was seen celebrating Eid with a proper meal and festive spirit.
But have the sea and river really run out of fish?
"It's not exactly like that. It's just a way of expressing our frustration," explained Asad Majhi, a hilsa fisherman from the village.
Fishermen said even after enduring a 58-day government-imposed ban on sea fishing, they return empty-handed from both the rivers and the sea. Often, they can't even recover the cost of their trips. Recent stormy weather has also prevented many from setting out to fish. With little to no income, many families have been surviving on credit, and Eid only added to their financial strain.
"I borrowed just so I could put a piece of meat on my children's plates. This is how we live every day. I don't know how much longer we can go on," said Asad Majhi.
On Dalim Majhi's boat, his family members were seen making bread.
"No matter how poor we are, we have to eat well at least one day a year," he said, adding that he had borrowed funds to prepare for the celebration.
Another fisherman, Akkel Bepari, was seen feeding his child meat and rice.
"I couldn't afford to buy meat this time, so we're eating what little we received as charity," he said. "I've been fishing since childhood, but I've never seen a hilsa crisis like this."
In Charfesson upazila, fisherman Alauddin Majhi said he had to borrow Tk 10,000 just to celebrate Eid with his family.
"Sometimes when we go fishing and return without a catch, we have to borrow from wholesalers just to survive. The prolonged lack of fish is pushing us into a deeper crisis," he added.
Israel Pandit, president of the Barishal Divisional Small Fishermen's Association, said nearly 500,000 fisher families in the region are in distress due to the severe shortage of fish. While the government provides 40 kg of rice per month to about half of the registered fishermen, the rest are left to fend for themselves, he added. He urged the government to extend aid to all fishermen and increase the amount of assistance.
SM Asaduzzaman, assistant director of the Barishal Divisional Fisheries Office, said there are 230,389 registered fishermen in the division. Between February and March, 8,174 metric tonnes of rice were distributed to them under the government's VGF (Vulnerable Group Feeding) programme.
However, sources say an equal number of fishermen remain unregistered and, as a result, receive no assistance.
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