Fishermen in Khulna and other coastal areas are making final preparations to return to the sea as a 22-day fishing ban ended at midnight on Thursday. After weeks of inactivity, fishing villages are bustling with crews painting boats, repairing nets, checking engines, and stocking provisions for extended trips.
Families are helping prepare food and pack essential supplies, while boat owners arrange fuel, fishing gear, and crew members. But behind the preparations lies anxiety over dwindling fish stocks, mounting debt, piracy, and unpredictable weather.
Shankar Kumar Biswas, 55, a fisherman from Hetampur village in Paikgachha upazila, said he was preparing to return to sea despite owing Tk20 lakh. “The biggest fear is whether we will catch enough fish. Pirates are another constant threat, while storms and tidal surges are always on our minds,” he said, adding that he expected to set sail within two or three days.
Biswas lost his father in the devastating storm of 1988 when he was a child and fellow fishermen during Cyclone Sidr in 2007. Despite those traumatic experiences, he is preparing to go to sea with his five brothers and 23 other crew members aboard four boats.
For many fishermen, a poor catch means being unable to repay loans taken to cover fuel, food, ice, equipment, and crew wages. Many borrow from boat owners and local lenders before each trip, hoping to repay the loan after selling their catch. When earnings fall short, families are forced to borrow again.
Climate change is compounding their difficulties. Rising sea temperatures, erratic weather, cyclones, and rough seas are affecting fishing schedules and catches. Mahadev Biswas, 56, of Boalia village, who has spent nearly four decades fishing at sea, said the availability of several fish species had declined.
“Previously, we caught plenty of chhuri, seabass, Bombay duck, shrimp, crab, pomfret and tuna, among other species. Now, their numbers are gradually falling,” he said.
Fishermen also cited piracy and the alleged intrusion of Indian fishing trawlers into local waters as major security concerns. Although some have begun using life jackets, buoys, compasses, and radios following safety awareness initiatives, they say substantial risks remain.
Nur Islam of Rauli village said many fishermen worked under boat owners for five months under agreements costing up to Tk200,000, compared with Tk120,000 previously. “Every trip means putting our lives at risk, yet little is being done for fishermen,” he said.
According to the Paikgachha upazila fisheries office, around 1,950 local fishermen are preparing to head to sea with more than 250 boats and trawlers.
Khulna district has 48,298 registered fishermen, around 30,000 of whom venture into the deep sea. A private organisation estimates that nearly 300,000 fishermen live along the country's southwestern coast, most using small motorised boats.
According to Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh's maritime area, including its exclusive economic zone, covers 118,813 square kilometres. The country has around 237 industrial trawlers and 28,575 mechanised and traditional fishing vessels.
Marine fish production fell to 629,000 tonnes in fiscal year 2023-24 from 679,000 tonnes in fiscal year 2022-23 and 706,000 tonnes in fiscal year 2021-22.
