Fishing trawlers lying idle for rough sea

Fishers in coastal regions of Bangladesh have yet to begin operations as the sea remains rough due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, according to industry people.

Besides, this delay could cause losses for fishers as they already had to suspend their activities during an annual 65-day government ban on fishing in the sea that began on May 20.

And although some tried to brave the waters, they were ultimately forced to return empty handed.

As such, many fishing trawlers are now lying idle at different wharfs across Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Barishal, Patuakhali and Mongla.

Md Aminul Haque Babul Sarkar, general secretary of Chittagong Fishing Trawler Owners Association, said the 65-day ban was annually imposed to facilitate the breeding of marine fish.

Most fishers had set sail the very night this year's ban ended on July 23. However, they came back the next day with nothing to show for it as the high wind speeds and large waves had raised serious safety concerns.

Abul Hossain, the owner of two fishing trawlers, said he spent about Tk 4 lakh on food, fuel, fishing equipment and other accessories to take his two vessels out to sea to catch fish on July 24.

But now, much of this investment could go to waste as the vessel owners are having to count costs even though their earnings are at a standstill.

"For example, we have to pay the workers' wages even while they have no work at hand," he said.

Officials of Patenga Meteorological Office in Chattogram said a low-pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal's northern region and its surrounding areas.

A Danger Signal No. 3 was lifted last evening for the Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mogla and Payra seaports. It had referred to a storm which was likely to hit the area.

Abdus Sattar, director of the Marine Fisheries Directorate of Chattogram, said most of the roughly 263 industrial fishing vessels and 29,358 wooden trawlers across Bangladesh have returned to the coast.

He also informed that the fisheries sector contributes 2.43 percent of the country's annual GDP.

And while Bangladesh currently earns about Tk 500 crore from exporting fish every year, the government plans to increase this income to Tk 1,500 crore by 2041.

As per data of the fisheries department, about 47.59 lakh tonnes of fish were produced throughout the country in fiscal 2021-22. Of this amount, marine fish accounted for 7.6 lakh tonnes.

Mostak Ahmed, organising secretary of the District Fishing Trawler Owners' Association in Cox's Bazar, said many of the roughly 5,000 fishing trawlers in the area had set off on July 24.

"But they later returned without catching anything as the sea was rough with high wind speeds that made it difficult to keep trawlers steady," he said.

"Accidents can happen anytime under such conditions and so, they returned to shore," Ahmed added.