After a two-month fishing ban in Bhola’s Meghna-Tetulia Rivers, thousands of fishermen have returned to the waters with high hopes only to return home with empty hand as hilsa remains scarce in the peak season.
Despite 34 days passing since the government ban was lifted, the much-anticipated hilsa remains elusive. The few juvenile hilsa (jatka) that are being caught are fetching high prices, but not nearly enough to cover mounting debts.
Fisheries experts urge patience. They say that due to climate change, hilsa are taking longer to migrate from the sea into freshwater rivers. The fish typically enter the rivers when conditions are ideal; with steady rains and a strong tidal flow. This year, those conditions have yet to fully arrive.
Meanwhile, fishermen are under mounting pressure. Many took loans from middlemen and NGOs to repair nets and boats ahead of the season. With little to show for their efforts, they now worry how they will repay those debts.
Visits to major fish landing stations across the region; including Betua, Samraj, Kukrir-Monura, Char Patila, Dhalchar, Hawladar Bazar, Bokshi of Nurabad, Gachir Khal, Pachkopat of Hazariganj, Mainuddin, Bangla Bazarghat of Nilkomol, Babur Hat at Char Kolmi, New Switch, Khejurgachhia, Berivanga and others, reveal a similar story: idle docks and quiet markets, once bustling with hilsa activity.
Traditionally, the hilsa season starts around July (from Boishakh to Ashwin in Bengali calendar). Fishermen, banking on nature’s rhythms, prepare their gear and venture into the rivers. But with Ashar almost over, hilsa are still missing and frustration is growing.
"Normally, this time of year the markets are flooded with hilsa and prices drop. But this year, we barely see any fish," says Shahjahan, a fish trader in Charfesson.
Another trader, Bashir Haldar, adds, "This season is when we usually make our profits. But this year, business is dead."
Rahim Majhi, a fisherman from Dhalchar, laments, “The river is empty; not a trace of fish or fry. It feels like they’ve all been washed away.”
The situation is dire for many fishing families whose livelihoods depend entirely on the seasonal hilsa catch. With empty nets and hungry mouths to feed, the uncertainty is devastating.
Experts and fisheries officials continue to monitor the situation.
Joyonto Kumar Apu, Senior Fisheries Officer of Charfesson, explains that the delay is largely due to climate change. “The hilsa need light rains and a south-easterly wind to migrate upstream. We haven’t had that yet. Until the right conditions are in place, the fish will stay in the sea.”
He remains hopeful, however, that by mid-August, the silver harvest may finally arrive.
Until then, thousands of fishing families wait; with boats in the river and hope in their hearts, for the return of their lifeline, the elusive hilsa.
SF/SH
