The fish landing centre in Cox’s Bazar has been giving out happy vibes since fishermen started returning from the sea with boatloads of ilish after the government lifted its ban on the netting of fish in the Bay of Bengal.
Although the place remained desolate for a long period of 65 days, the fish landing centre has once again been seeing a large congregation of fishermen and traders every day since July 23, when the ban came to an end.
No one there seemed out of breath. Some were busy breaking the ice and others arranging the fish. Then the ilish were being sent off to different markets in and around the district, including Dhaka and Chittagong.
However, even though ilish was caught in large numbers, the price is still a bit high, reports this correspondent.
Md Ramiz, a local fisherman, said he had to live in hardship during the ban but he was happy as he could net a huge number of ilish.
Nur Hossain of Ukhiya’s Sonarpara, who has been fishing in the sea for 10 years, said: “I was at sea for a week and I returned to the coast with the desired amount of fish. This time the ilish is being sold at a higher price as they are bigger in size. This is both good for fishermen as well as the boat owners.”
Jan-e Alam, president of the Cox's Bazar Fishermen's Association, said: “Netting large numbers of ilish has been a big relief for the fishermen as they were afraid they would not be able to repay their loans taken from different NGOs and moneylenders, loans which they had taken out to tide over the 65-day ban period.”
Ehsanul Haque, manager of Cox's Bazar Fish Landing Centre, said: “Every day a large number of fish-filled trawlers are flocking to the fish landing centre. Besides, Kutubdia, Maheshkhali, Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas are also observing this ilish festival along their coasts.”
District Fisheries Officer SM Khalequzzaman said: “Last year, fishermen in the district caught 15,256 tons of ilish. And this year, they have a target of 17,000 tons.
“The government imposed a 65-day long ban on fishing in the Bay that came to an end on July 23, giving ilish plenty of time to breed and grow in size.”
“As a result, our fishermen sailing to sea are bringing back ilish by boatloads. This year, I believe they will be able to achieve the target.”
