Marine fish catch from north Bay of Bengal region on decline, state faces Hilsa crisis
kolkata: There will be no wonder if fish loving Bengalis are deprived of their favourite hilsa recipes in a few years from now. 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.
Application of destructive fishing gears that too in excess of sustainable limits is majorly contributing towards a persistent decline. The revelations come at a time when the Bengal government is implementing a ban on marine fishing for two months to control fishing. It has already started from April 15 and will continue till May 31.Data from the Ministry of Fisheries 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 per cent 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, has been offering alternative employment opportunities and offering food security under Khadya Sathi especially during the ban period so that they don't go the sea to catch fishes
Debasis Shyamal, Secretary of Dakshin Banga Matsyajibi Forum said: "Both the Centre and the state government should take an initiative to extend the ban on fishing from 2 to 3 months strictly for huge mechanised boats. The ban should be strictly maintained this time of the year." Pradip Chatterjee, Secretary, National Fish Workers' Forum said decline in the prediction of hilsa on the Indian side of the Bay of Bengal has been a rising concern in the recent past. The Hilsa population is being destroyed by over-exploitation, threatening the livelihood of over 26,000 fishermen. "Big mechanised trawlers with a capacity of around 300-500 horsepower hovering through the regions and bottom trawling are destroying the natural habitat. Bottom trawling is prohibited up to 12 nautical miles from coastline but most of them allegedly start trawling just 1 km from the coastline," he added.
