After the two-month-long ban on ilish fishing, fishermen had anticipated a bountiful catch upon their return to the rivers. However, they are now coming back empty-handed.
Fisheries officials of the district said that the prime season for ilish now extends from September to October, with May, June, and July being considered a relatively dull period.
They said the fluctuations in fish availability -- their reproduction process -- is highly dependent on the impacts of climate change and global warming.
Factors such as rainfall patterns, river currents, and water pressure play crucial roles in breeding and production as well.
According to the Barisal Meteorological Department, rainfall in the district has not followed the normal pattern in the last six months.
There was no rainfall in January and February. March saw above-average precipitation. Again, April witnessed an abnormal decrease in rainfall.
Officials anticipate that if rainfall returns to its regular patterns, the situation is likely to normalize.
Situation at the ilish mokam
A former bank official Rony Hossain, a resident of Kalibari Road in the city, went to buy ilish on Wednesday morning. He returned home disappointed as the price of the fish was extremely high in the market.
He said an ilish, which weighs 1kg 900 gram was priced at Tk7,000 -- standing at Tk1.5 lakh per mound.
A fisherman at the Barisal port road area, Anwar Khokon, who came to the market with a 10kg ilish, said he went to the river with seven to eight other fishermen.
He said the fish they got were all small in size and they did not even get the desired amount.
Zahir Sikder, a wholesale dealer at the ilish mokam at the Port Road area in Barisal (largest wholesale market of the district), said: "Last year, at this time, 500 maunds of ilish were caught in a day. Now there are not even 40 maunds a day. During the ban, fishermen caught ilish by dodging the eyes of law enforcers. Maybe that's why production hasn't increased this time.”
Another wholesale dealer at the mokam, Robin Roy Chowdhury, said he has been in this business for 15 years.
“This year the amount of ilish at the mokam is way less than before. Fishermen caught a lot of ilish fry defying the ban and those were sold in the markets as well. If we can stop this, then maybe we will be able to fix the crisis that we are facing right now,” he said.
Was the ban successful?
District Fisheries Officer Ripon Kanti Ghosh said: "There is a huge difference between last year and this year. Last year, the weather was not so hot.”
Regarding the allegations of fishermen and traders that the ban was not implemented successfully, the fisheries official said: "Ilish is not being caught mainly due to lack of rain. Although the ban was not 100% successful, more raids have been conducted this time than before. It is not right to say that production has decreased. Because the ban ended only two days ago.”
Asked whether the producing 580,000 tons of ilish in the fiscal year 2024-25 will be fulfilled, Ripon Kanti Ghosh said: "I hope the target will be achieved. Five sanctuaries in the southern region of Bangladesh faced the ban on ilish fishing. The fish will be caught when the time is right.”
Ilish fishing ban
Fishermen resumed ilish fishing on Tuesday midnight after the two-month ban on catching, selling and transportation of the national fish ended
To boost the production of ilish, the government imposed a two-month ban on ilish catching, selling, hoarding and transporting from March 1 till April 30.
The ban covers ilish sanctuaries in six districts -- Barisal, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Bhola, Shariatpur and Patuakhali.
The sanctuaries are 100km in the Meghna River from Chandpur’s Shatnol to Lakshmipur, Char Alexander, 90km in Shahbazpur Channel in Bhola, 100km in Tentulia River in Bhola, 20km in Naria and Bhederganj upazilas in Chandpur, and 82km in Hizla, Mehendiganj and Barisal Sadar upazilas, Gazaria and the Meghna River.
The prohibition, enforced by the district and upazila task forces, aims to preserve the aquatic ecosystem and boost ilish production.
