Fish production in the haor (wetland) regions of Sunamganj is decreasing due to habitat loss, climate change, and illegal fishing with banned nets. Local species are also disappearing. According to the district fisheries officer, fishing nets are found in almost every household in the haor villages.
In Shalla upazila alone, there are about 80,000 traditional fishing traps, which have become a major obstacle to fish breeding and production.
Bangladesh has 373 haors across seven districts, contributing significantly to the country’s total fish production. Professor Dr Md Shakhawat Hossain from the Department of Aquaculture at Sylhet Agricultural University said that the main causes behind the declining fish population in the haors of Sunamganj and Sylhet are the use of pesticides in paddy cultivation and fishing with prohibited nets. He explained that banned gill nets, kona nets, China duari nets, and ber nets catch fish of all sizes, disrupting breeding cycles.
He added that drying up wetlands to catch fish destroys the entire fish population. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in paddy fields also contaminates haor water, reducing fish fertility. Moreover, irregular rainfall due to climate change prevents successful breeding. According to him, climate change has altered the life cycle of fish, and irregular rainfall — sometimes heavy floods, sometimes drought — is destroying habitats as haor basins dry up for long periods.
Dr Hossain suggested stopping the illegal import of nets, enforcing wetland lease regulations, and strengthening administrative drives to protect the fish population.
District Fisheries Officer Al Minan Noor said that according to the Water Development Board, Sunamganj has 95 haors. Silt accumulation is destroying fish habitats, while illegal nets like kona and ber nets are widely used. He admitted that almost every household in the haor areas owns a fishing net. The department has recently started inspecting fishing net shops to stop illegal sales. Noor mentioned that due to the lack of baseline data, it is difficult to determine whether production is increasing or decreasing, but a survey will begin in November to establish accurate data. He acknowledged that climate change and delayed rainfall have reduced the population of native fish species.
Kashem Reza, president of the Environment and Haor Development Organization and secretary of BAPA Sylhet chapter, said that many haors, rivers, and beels have been filled up, reducing fish shelters. Even in designated sanctuary areas where fishing is prohibited, people continue to catch fish. He called for leasing wetlands to genuine fishermen, excavating haors and rivers to retain water longer, encouraging organic fertilizer use, banning the drying of wetlands for fishing, and enforcing seasonal fishing bans.
Locals said illegal kona and ber nets are used openly in haors under the authorities’ watch, destroying young fish. As a result, local markets now have a shortage of native fish, and farmed fish dominate the trade. Fish trader Loguch Mia from Tahirpur said native fish are becoming rare and that farmed fish are now sold at higher prices to meet demand.
Tahirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mehedi Hasan Manik said he is usually occupied with matters related to sand extraction sites, so fishing raids are conducted only now and then.