The Army That Makes Dry Fish

They make and mend their nets and then head out to the sea in their boats to fish. They are gone for as long as 15 days. When they return to Nazirertek of Cox's Bazar, they usually have a hull full of fish. On their return the dry fish processing activities begin. People with carts take the fish to the beach where an army of workers sort, cut and dry the fish. They claim that about 30,000 to 40,000 people are actively or passively engaged in the dry fish trade there. Most of the workers, many of them children, are illiterate and the area does not have electricity supply, they said.

Photo: Amran Hossain