Ali Azim, Mongla (Bagerhat)

Fishermen on the Sundarbans coast of the Bay of Bengal have fallen victim to adverse weather conditions just as the season for catching fish and making dry fish (shutki) was beginning. Due to the influence of a low-pressure system, continuous rain and a rough sea are disrupting fish harvesting.

On the very first day of the season, Friday (October 30), heavy rainfall in Dublar Char and surrounding areas put thousands of fishermen and fishers in distress.

The seasonal livelihoods of these fishermen have become uncertain due to their inability to go to sea for fishing, build new houses and dry fish processing facilities, and dry the fish in the absence of sunlight.

Due to the hostile weather, alongside potential financial losses for the fishermen, concerns have also arisen regarding the Sundarbans Department's target for revenue collection. The fishermen, who came to Dublar Char to catch fish and make dry fish by taking advance loans (dadon) and debts from moneylenders (mahajans), are now anxious about covering their family expenses.

Fishermen stated that every year, centering on the dry fish season, thousands of fishermen and fishers from various coastal regions gather at different chars of the Sundarbans, including Dublar Char, Alorkol, and Meherali. Their fish harvesting and dry fish production activities run from late October until March. For this purpose, at the beginning of the season, they arrive at the chars with necessary equipment to build temporary housing, fish-drying racks (macha), and other infrastructure. However, adverse weather right at the beginning is disrupting all their preparations.

The fishermen said that rain started from Thursday night. As the rain continued on Friday, the construction of new houses and the preparation of dry fish infrastructure by the fishermen were hampered. At the same time, due to the rough sea, many fishermen could not go deep into the sea for fishing. Even though some caught fish near the coast, they could not dry the fish due to the lack of sun. As a result, normal activities of fish harvesting and dry fish production have been disrupted right at the start of the season.

Sea fish are the biggest livelihood support for the fishermen. Throughout the five-month season, they remain worried about catching adequate fish, paying extortion fees to pirates, recovering from natural disaster losses, and repaying loans.

Khalilur Rahman, Forest Ranger and CO (In-charge) of the Dublar Char Fishermen Village, said, "Heavy rainfall has been occurring in the Dublar Char area since Thursday night. Because of this, the construction of new houses for the fishermen who arrived here at the beginning of the season for fishing and living is being hindered."

The situation has become even more alarming for the fishermen due to the burden of debt. To cover the costs of fish harvesting and dry fish production this season, many fishermen came to Dublar Char having taken advance loans and debts from moneylenders. Their expectation was that right from the beginning of the season, they would catch fish in the sea, make and sell dry fish, and repay their loans from that income. However, with the adverse weather preventing them from going fishing and shutting down fish-drying work, their investments have been put at risk. If the weather does not become favorable, besides a drop in income, they might fall into a crisis regarding loan repayment.

On the other hand, centering on the dry fish season, the Forest Department has set a revenue collection target of ৳8 crore for this season. A decline in fish harvesting and dry fish production by fishermen could also have a negative impact on the Forest Department's revenue collection.