A day with fishermen at Bay of Bengal

It was during the first half of April when the Kuakata sea beach was almost empty of tourists due to Ramadan. At dawn there were none but only fishermen here and there.

Some were preparing their boats and arranging the fishing nets, some just started sailing while some were already out at sea.

Nuruzzaman Khalifa, a 55-year-old fisherman who owns a small trawler boat, was cleaning up the anchor surrounded by abandoned mesh.

Usually, on such boats, three fishermen take the ride at a time – one in the driving seat, with the others drawing nets and catching fish.

Nuruzzaman's two partners were roaming around and making other arrangements.

The boat was on the upper shore, which was dry.

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

After the cleaning and preparation were done, a couple of wheels were set in front of the boat and the fishermen started pushing from behind and from two sides to take it toward the sea.

When they finally sailed off, the view of the structures on the beach started getting smaller and the fishermen became busy finding their net spots and drawing them one after another but the number of fish caught was not satisfactory.

Nuruzzaman, later in the day, told the story of his life that perhaps is common to many of the fishermen in Kuakata.

He informed that there are about 4,000 fishing boats in the space of some 18 kilometres in the beach area and more than 12,000 fishermen around.

The government fixed for them their fishing spots and the three fishermen in Nuruzzaman's boat had 11 nets at as many spots.  

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

He used to go fishing with his father from childhood and gradually learned to knit as he grew up. Since learning the techniques, he has been fishing with nets for 28 years. But things started going down in the recent decade.

“The number of islands is increasing. There are hardly any fish on this side because of the island. Now those who have small boats cannot go out to the deep sea. They are leaving the profession.” he said.

“There is an island (Bijoy Char) 30 km south in the sea that has become a football field. We take tourists who play football there. Tourists stay at night and come again the next day. This is what happens in the ocean. That's why there is not enough fish in the sea.”

“I got only 4/5 kg of fish today. It is very difficult to run a family with this. I am worried about my family. There is only loss. Many fishermen have gone away to Dhaka and started trying out other professions.”

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

Nuruzzaman has his parents, wife, two sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren to feed.

“I have 10 people in the family but I am the only one who earns. There is another person (son) who drives a van. The money he earns from driving does not cover his own expenses. This is how we save the family. What should I do now?”

Nuruzzaman described his daily life. 

He goes fishing at six in the morning every day and comes back around ten o'clock. Then the nets have to be repaired throughout the day. The nets have to be dried under the sun. Then he goes to sea again in the evening to place the nets. He is busy throughout the day.

“Our boat is small. That's why we can't go to the deep sea. No one can say whether we will be able to return if there is a sudden storm. Many people have died. Many people died at sea during the storm. Many bodies came ashore.

“We are now in a very miserable condition. If the government helps us with (big) boats, we can go to the deep sea and fish. I could survive alone but it is difficult for my family to survive.

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

“Since 2016, the government has been providing us with rice. We used to get 40kg per month before but now we get 20 kg of rice. It is not possible to run a family of 8-10 people with this. We can't even eat properly.

“I don't even have money to buy a new net. The government provides net but we don't get them. I haven't received any net to date.

“Another problem is that we do not get proper prices for fish. We provide the local fish. Then they deduct a commission of Tk10 from us for Tk100. The wholesalers (lenders) sell the fish. We have no right to sell them.

“We want more help from the government. We also want to get rid of the wholesalers who lend us money and deprive us of our rights. If the government does not help, fishermen have no chance to save their families.

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

“We have not learned anything other than fishing. We learned this in childhood. That's why we go to the sea and catch fish despite the risk and save our lives. We go fishing to save children.

“Why would I survive if I can't provide rice to my grandchildren? I can't afford to buy clothes for my grandchildren. I earn Tk200-300 (per day) by selling fish and I have 10 people to feed. We fishermen are helpless.”

After more than three hours of fishing at 11 different spots but with no luck to get a single hilsa fish, the fishermen began to return.

Clouds began to gather in the sky. The surroundings became a bit dark. The sea also seemed to be rising. But there was a hush — not to worry.

Shishir Haque/Dhaka Tribune

As the boat neared the shore, one of Nuruzzaman's grandchildren eagerly waited for him on the beach.

Even before it hit the shoreline, he was the first one from the boat to come down and take the little kid on his shoulder. They were soon on their way home.