A 22-day campaign to conserve Mother Hilsa will begin tomorrow, October 8. During this period, all types of fishing will be banned in the Padma River. Fishermen on the banks of the Padma are worried about how they will support their families during these 22 days of ban.
Fishermen said that despite fishing in the river for years, many of them do not have government fishing cards. Some have obtained fishing cards even though they have not caught any fish. As a result, genuine fishermen are being deprived of government assistance.
According to the Fisheries Department, the number of registered fishermen in Rajbari Sadar, Pangsha, Kalukhali, and Goalanda of the district is 14,102. Of these, 6,304 are card-holding fishermen involved in Hilsa fishing. However, this time the VGF rice allocation has been for 5,592 people. As a result, 712 card-holding Hilsa fishermen are being deprived of rice assistance.
On the ground, fishermen on the banks of the Padma in Barat, Mizanpur of Rajbari Sadar Upazila and Daulatdia of Goalanda are busy repairing boats and nets ahead of the ban. Some are fixing nets, while others are tarring boats.
Barat fisherman Jamir Haldar said that he has been fishing in the river for about 5-6 years but has not received a fishing card. There are 5-7 people in the house. He is worried about how the family will survive for 22 days of the ban. He also said that since there is no opportunity to do anything else except this profession, he will have to go into the river secretly to earn money.
Mizanpur fisherman Yakub Ali said he has a fishing card. He will not enter the river during the ban. However, he said it is difficult to feed a large family with the 25 kg of rice provided by the government.
Shukchan Haldar, a fisherman in Daulatdia, has been fishing for almost 8 years but has not received a card. He said, "I don't get rice, I don't get any support. What can I do, I have a stomach."
Dhawapara fisherman Idris Bepari said that despite fishing in the river for a long time, he has not been given a fishing card. And Sohel Halder, who has been fishing for almost three decades, said that if adequate support is provided along with alternative employment opportunities, fishermen will not enter the river during the ban.
Rajbari District Fisheries Officer Md. Mahbub ul Haque said, 22 days are very important for the reproduction of mother Hilsa. If Hilsa is given the opportunity to release eggs without any hindrance during this time, production will increase. Cooperation of fishermen and everyone concerned is needed to make the ban successful.
Regarding the complaints of fishermen not getting cards and fishermen getting cards, he said, "The cards are being updated every year in the fishermen's offices. If specific complaints are received, action will be taken after verification." There is also a system to issue cards to genuine fishermen after the verification of new fishermen.
Financial Mirror/AH
