Poor catch makes Bagha fishers vulnerable

BAGHA, RAJSHAHI, Aug 8:  Fishermen in Rajshahi’s Bagha Upazila are struggling to catch fish in the Padma River despite it being the peak fishing season, leaving them unable to cover even their fishing costs.

The shortage has also left fish markets and wholesale stalls along the river largely empty.

Fishermen say they are spending money to go fishing but often fail to recover the cost of fuel, ice and labour. Even when they catch one or two kilograms of fish, the proceeds are not enough to cover their expenses.
Fish prices have also risen due to the shortage.

Many boats are returning from the river with little or no catch. As a result, fishermen are facing growing uncertainty and financial hardship. They said their catch has fallen by around 90 per cent compared with previous years.

With little fish to catch, many fishermen have tied their boats in rows at Mirganj Ghat and are spending idle hours there.

A visit to Mirganj Ghat on Saturday morning found the fish market largely deserted. Fishermen were sitting around with little to do, and there was little of the usual activity associated with the peak fishing season.

Fishermen Lutfor Rahman and Oliur Rahman said they had borrowed money to buy fishing nets and boats.

“We planned to repay the loans by selling fish. But we are not catching enough fish even to cover our expenses. We are now carrying the burden of debt and living in deep uncertainty,” they said.

Lal Chand, a wholesaler at the Six Tara Fish Arat at Mirganj Padma River Ghat, said the amount of fish arriving at the market had fallen sharply.

“We are not getting even one-tenth of the fish we used to receive. We are struggling to support our families and do not know how we will repay our debts,” he said.