The plight of the shrimp post-larvae collectors

Five masked armed men tied up the hands of 7-8 fishermen behind their back.  One muscular man ordered all to kneel. A bearded man lay senseless being beaten severely. "I will kill you all unless you pay ransom," the pirates demanded Tk 2000 from each fisherman as a condition for their release. Finally, the fishermen managed to pay half of the ransom money, and the gang took away their trawler, fishing nets and ropes.

This is how the Bay of Bengal has become a dangerous place for the shrimp post-larvae (PL) collectors. Abduction of fishermen by pirates has become a regular feature in the areas near the Sundarbans. On September 12 this year, robbers abducted 55 fishermen along with four fishing trawlers from Fairway buoy demanding Tk 5.0 million as ransom. In recent times, most of abductions are taking place for ransom. In some cases, though rare, the abductors do not hesitate to kill the hostages, if their demands are not met by the victim's relatives.

After the cyclone AILA, PL collection has become a major contributor to the livelihoods of the coastal poor including women and children. Peak time for tiger shrimp PL collection is three months beginning from the Bengali month of Poush, while that for lobster is also for three months beginning form Falgoon. Statistical data shows that on average 40 per cent of total annual income of the PL collectors comes from post-larvae fishing during these six months.  

It is estimated that approximately 400,000 people are engaged in PL collection; among them about 93 per cent are women and children. Children are usually in the water from around five to nine every morning. Everyone is thoroughly soaked and red-eyed, a result of prolonged exposure to saline water. An estimated 86 per cent of all fry collectors are landless, with little or no opportunities for alternative income generation. Around one-third of the women are divorced, separated, deserted, or widowed. Many hundreds of the poor engaged in the work are now trapped in serious debt, unable to repay the loans they took to buy nets and other equipment.     

During the six-month peak season, when the tides are high, the fishers borrow their seed money from moneylenders on condition of selling their catches to the moneylenders known as Dadondars at a nominal commission of 5.0 to 10 per cent on their sales. If they fail, the Dadondars seize their cattle, boat, net or any other belongings they may have.

Sundarbans and its surrounding areas are characterised by post-larvae abundance. In order to have more catches, the fishermen enter into the Sundarbans and are incarcerated by robbers. There is an apparent nexus between the robbers and the Dadondars. It has been observed on occasions that fishermen abducted by robbers and held hostage are rescued by the  Dadondars who appear on the scene rather dramatically to pay off the  ransom money. In the turn of events that follow, the fishermen become totally dependent on the wishes of the Dadondars. Approximately 70 to 80 per cent of their income goes to the Dadondar.

 Locally, the prices of post larvae are negotiated between the Dadondar and the collectors of larvae. At the lower end of the chain, there are little chances of bargaining between collectors and a middleman because buyers from outside have very little ability to influence the price. Besides, the buyers face some other disadvantages as the price is very unstable and can fluctuate greatly. Usually, collectors need to wait from two weeks up to three months for payment, and sometimes they never get paid. Another disadvantage for the collectors is that the payment is normally not documented.

Some NGOs have come forward to save the PL collectors from the clutches of the Dadondars. Islamic Relief Bangladesh, through a project supported by Islamic Relief -UK, is setting up groups with PL collectors and establishing market linkages for supporting alternative income generation activities. For market promotion, this project facilitates motivation among the market actors through consultation and interactions. It aims at reducing the layers of supply chain and adding value to the price for the PL collectors. The process enables the PL collectors to sell directly to the shrimp farmers. Similar programmes may be taken up by other non-government organisations in order to cause some respite to the poor in the coastal belts.

 Habib Torikul works for an                            international organisation [email protected]