Hundreds of trawlers to hit sea to catch Hilsa as ban gets lifted after two months

KOLKATA: Hundreds of trawlers will venture into the sea to catch Hilsa from tomorrow as the ban on deep sea fishing is going to be lifted from June 15 after two months.

The State Fisheries department has been strictly enforcing a ban on fishing in the deep sea so that breeding of Hilsa fish is not affected. Marine fish catch from the North Bay of Bengal region has been sharply declining with the state facing scanty hilsa catch as the unscientific fishing destroys natural habitat. Experts feel that people in the state may see a further dip in marine fish production in the next few years. State government has been taking up various means to ensure that various fish production does not get hampered in the state.

According to the experts, the application of destructive fishing gears that too in excess of sustainable limits is majorly contributing towards a persistent decline of marine fish catch. The Bengal government implemented a ban on marine fishing for two months from April 15 to June 14 to control fishing in the deep sea.

Fishermen from various parts of coastal regions like Diamond Harbour, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Sagar Island, Frazergung, Patharpratima, Raidighi will sail away from Wednesday to catch Hilsa. "There had been scanty Hilsa catches in the past three years as a result, we faced a loss. We are reaping hope this year," Bachhu Naskar, a fisherman, said.The Ministry of Fisheries department data show that Bengal reported around 1.63 lakh tonnes marine fish catch in 2019-20 which remained exactly the same in the previous financial year 2018-19. In 2017-18, Bengal registered a catch of around 1.85 lakh tonnes. In 2019-20, the highest marine catches were reported by Gujarat 7.01 lakh tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu 5.83 lakh tonnes, Andhra Pradesh 5.64 lakh tonnes, West Bengal 1.63 and Odisha 1.58, Central government data said.

A study states that the number of boats engaged in fishing increased by more than 25 percent while hilsa catch dipped by more than 13 per cent. The number of boats operating in north Bay of Bengal is much beyond the sustainable limit.

State fisheries department has however been offering alternative employment opportunities and offering food security under Khadya Sathi especially during the ban period so that they do not go to the sea to catch fishes.