Poison fishing spreads to Padma River
DOT Desk: Ilius fishes near the Lalgola-Urakanda area of the Padma River in Rajbari. With his modest investment of a small boat, basic nets and other fishing instruments and hard work, he manages a modest livelihood. On the day we met, however, he said that he was struggling to catch fish because some fishermen released poison on the river bank near his fishing area, reports TBS.
“They applied the poison three nights back to catch shrimp, and there has been no fish in the area ever since,” Ilius said. “Whenever this happens, which is very common when the water is clear (during winter-spring time mostly), small fishermen like us have trouble fishing.” He said that such poison fishing in the river is becoming increasingly common in his area, and he heard that this is rampant almost everywhere in the Padma bank in Rajbari and the neighbouring districts.
When asked if he could introduce us to the fishermen who release poison in Padma, Ilius said, “I know some of them in my area but if I tell you their names, they will cause trouble for me.” Poison fishing has been of concern in the Sundarbans area and ponds in general. But the latest finding of its spread in Padma River is both unprecedented and alarming. According to the fishermen and the residents who were interviewed over the weeks, the poison fishers in the vast bank of Padma are speculated to be “many.” But it is hard to catch them in action because this happens only at night, and it is done rather quickly. The whole process takes approximately 1-1.5 hours with the posion fishers leaving the spot.
Only on condition of anonymity and assurance that their names and identities will not be disclosed, some poison fishers agreed to interviews. In the following text, pseudonyms were used for all the interviewees. “I don’t have an education. Those who can read said the poison is called Major and Jagoran,” Alamgir, a poison fisherman in Rajbari district, told The Business Standard.