Poor fishers brave rough rivers amid looming low pressure

CHAR FASSON, BHOLA, July 17: A fresh low-pressure system is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal, raising the risk of stormy weather along the coast, even as many poor fishermen in Bhola's Char Fasson Upazila have ventured into rivers to earn a living.

Light rain began on Wednesday night, while the Meghna and Tentulia rivers turned rough from the afternoon amid deteriorating weather conditions.

Char Fasson Senior Fisheries Officer Jayanta Kumar Apu said fishermen had been advised not to venture into rivers or the sea for the past seven to eight days because of adverse weather.

"Despite repeated warnings, many poor fishermen are still going out to fish as they have no other means of supporting their families," he said.

A visit to several fish landing centres in the upazila on Wednesday found little activity due to the rain and strong winds. Only a small number of fishermen were seen fishing in the Meghna River.

The fish they caught was sufficient to meet local demand, but traders said supplies could not be transported outside Char Fasson because of the weather.

Among those who ventured into the river was Basir Ullah, 45, a fisherman from the Samraj fish landing centre area in Char Madraj union. He set out in a manually operated boat with his two sons at around 9:30am and returned around 1:00pm after catching fish worth about Tk 3,000.

"My family has been struggling. I remained unemployed for the last seven or eight days. I know we have been advised not to fish because of the storm, but I had no choice. I stayed close to the shore and managed to earn around Tk 3,000. Thanks to Allah," he said.

Other fishermen at the same landing centre also managed modest catches. Bellal Majhi sold fish worth Tk 1,400, Rahman Majhi Tk 5,000, Maksud Tk 2,050, Hossain from the Tetulia riverbank area Tk 1,100, and Monju Majhi Tk 1,600.

Hundreds of people were also seen collecting shrimp fry in rivers across the upazila despite the rough weather.

Harun Majhi, 65, from the embankment area of Samraj, said a shrimp fry collector could earn Tk 4,000-5,000 a day.

"That's why many of us, along with our wives and children, have gone into the river despite the bad weather," he said.

Mamun Majhi, a trader at Betua fish landing centre, said around 20 per cent of the area's poor fishermen had ventured out.

"If they did not go fishing, many of them would have had nothing to eat," he said.

Another trader, Jane Alam of Mainuddin fish landing centre, said fish prices had risen because of the low supply.

"Many customers cannot afford to buy fish now. Hilsa weighing 200 to 300 grams is selling for Tk 500 to Tk 700 per kilogram," he said.