- For losses people changed professions after losing capital, nets and boats
- Every year we go to sea by taking loans from moneylenders. We do not get any help from the government and not even any credit.
Dipankar Biswas, a fisherman in Boalia
The dry fish season has started in Sundarban's Dubla pastures from November 4. Fishermen of coastal area are traveling to the sea to collect fish with the risk of life and the burden of debt. Sea-faring Shutki Palli fishermen risked their lives to collect fish every year, but could not turn the wheel of fortune due to various adversities. Faced with increasing losses, many people have changed professions after losing their capital, nets and boats. Many others continue to struggle hard to survive in this profession by borrowing money from moneylenders at exorbitant rates.
Fishermen are dreaming of a new life around fishing in the sea. The fishermen of the coast are risking their lives in the hope of turning around. Everyone is preparing nets, ropes, boats and trawlers to go to sea. Some are building new trawlers, while others have repaired old boats. Many have left early as per preparations.
It is known that since the operation of Shutki Palli started from the British period, the coastal fishermen of Magh or Sandwip and Chattogram used to build temporary houses in the pastures of Sundarbans and collect fish. From the 80s, fishermen from Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna and Patuakhali started harvesting fish in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal for drying in the Sundarbans area. Fishermen have been extracting fish from various adversities. Fishermen have maintained their profession despite tigers in the wild, crocodiles in the water, outbreaks of forest bandits and harassment by forest guards.
Dublar Char is an island south of the Sundarbans in the Bangladesh part, southwest of Cuttack and southeast of Hiran Point, popular for its Hindu bathing, Rasmela and deer. It is an isolated ford between the Kunga and Mara Pasur rivers. The total area of this char is about 81 square miles. Fisherman's village was built in Dublar Char. Fishing goes along with dry cleaning. After the hilsa hunting of the monsoon season, many fishermen from distant Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Khulna, Satkhira pitched their tents and set up temporary settlements there for five months. Fishing villages were established in the areas of Meher Ali Canal, Alorkol, Magherchar, Officekella, Narikelbaria, Manikkhali, Chafrakhali and Shalarchar etc. During these five months they are busy drying the fish. From here, dried fruits are stocked and sold in the wholesale market of Asadganj, Chattogram.
Boatmen and fishermen enter the Dublar Char with permission to collect fish from the eastern section of the Sundarbans. The Government receives revenue at a regular rate from Dublar Char. Fishermen get permission to enter the Sundarbans by paying revenue to the forest department in the form of BLC or boat license certificate, DFC or daily fuel (firewood) etc every year. Besides, when returning after measuring the dried fish, they paid the fixed revenue according to the type of fish.
The fishermen families could not turn the wheel of fortune due to being dependent only on the Sundarbans due to the accumulation of silt in the various rivers of Khulna district. Scheduled banks are supposed to provide loans to fishermen on easy terms, but due to various conditions, they are forced to take loans from moneylenders at high interest rates after failing to fulfill them.
Shitenath Biswas, a resident of Paikgacha upazila's Boalia fish village, said that every year we go to the sea by taking loans from moneylenders. We do not get any help from the government. Although the brutality of Asadu forest guards including the emergence of pirates and forest bandits in the Sundarbans and the extortion of ransom has stopped, we still have to face endless problems.
Dipankar Biswas, a fisherman in Boalia, expressed his anger and said, "Every year we risk our lives and give billions of taka to the government by catching fish from the sea. But we don't get any credit for fishing in the sea. He demanded to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and take measures to solve all the problems of the fishermen.
ZH
