Fishing in Kaptai Lake is set to resume on Saturday (September 1) after a long suspension of four months.
Starting from midnight of Saturday, fishermen will begin collecting fish from the lake. Initially, a three-month fishing ban was imposed on April 25, but due to low water levels, the ban was extended twice for an additional one month and seven days.
Industry stakeholders indicate that by tomorrow morning, fishermen will be bringing in fish from Kaptai Lake to the main marketing centers in Rangamati, as well as to sub-centers in Kaptai, Marishya, and Mahalchhari in Khagrachhari district. The fish will be distributed to all markets across the country, including the capital.
According to Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC), 7,627 tons of fish were marketed from Kaptai Lake in the 2023-24 season. This follows previous seasons with 6,794 tons in 2020-21, 6,523 tons in 2021-22, and 5,490 tons in 2022-23. Marketing officials are hopeful that this season’s yield will be even higher.
The fishing ban was extended by an additional one month and 12 days due to insufficient water levels in the lake during the scheduled period. After the four-month and 12-day ban, fishing in Kaptai Lake resumed on September 1. This time, the fishing ban was extended by another one month and seven days, with fishing now resuming from September 1.
According to fisheries departments of Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts, excluding Rajsthali and Kawkhali, there are approximately 26,500 registered fishermen across eight other upazilas, as well as in Dighinala and Mahalchhari upazilas in Khagrachhari. However, there have been concerns raised about the transparency of this list.
