With the end of almost two-month fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal, the fishermen of districts like Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Khulna, Satkhira, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, etc, started returning to the sea to catch fish, reports BSS.
The 58-day ban came to an end on Wednesday midnight, paving the way for resuming fishing in the Bay. Since then, the fishermen had been gathering supplies, stockpiling essential commodities, and completing necessary preparations for their sea expedition. Many even went to sea on Thursday. Most of the fishermen left home after Friday prayers.
Like every year, this year too, the government had imposed a ban on fishing in the sea from April 15 in order to breed, conserve and increase 473 species of marine fish, including Hilsa.
Meanwhile, the traders or the warehouse owners at the coastal fishing pier have also completed their preparations. As soon as the fishermen would bring in fish, they are preparing to buy and store those. Ice mills are being activated, and necessary ice is loaded on the trawlers.
Abdur Gafur, a 35-year-old fisherman from Cox's Bazar, said he has been going to the sea since he was 20 years old.
"I will go on Friday. Special prayers will be offered at the coastal mosques during Friday prayers to protect the lives and property of fishermen at sea," he said on Thursday.
Syed Alam, a fish trader at Teknaf Municipality, said, "The fishermen have finished repairing and cleaning the jetty. Now everyone is working on getting ice. About fifty fishing boats - small, large and medium - are preparing to leave this pier on Friday."
Each medium-sized trawler is spending at least Taka 30,000-1,00,000 on oil, ice, and other essentials for sea voyage. Large trawlers are carrying goods worth at least Taka 2,00,000.
