MOKAMMEL SHUVO, Cox’s Bazar

It should have been a busy, festive time for the fishers in Cox’s Bazar after the 65-day ban on fishing.

However, two weeks after the ban was lifted, they are still forced to sit idle as rough weather is preventing them from going out to the sea to catch fish -- the only occupation they know to earn their living.

They say they are unemployed for nearly three months as, prior to the ban, rough weather caused by cyclone Mocha prevented them from fishing for days.

Md Badrudduzza, manager of Cox’s Bazar Fish Landing Station and Wholesale Market, said only 2.76 tonnes of hilsa were caught since the ban was lifted on July 23 whilst the amount was 154 tonnes during the same period last year.

The hilsa trawlers could not go into the deep sea due to high waves, he said.

“Among 5,000 fishing trawlers of Cox’s Bazar, 3,000 are capable of catching hilsa fish. Last year, 8,100 tonnes of marine fish, including 3,975 tonnes of hilsa, were brought at Cox’s Bazar Fish Landing Station,” he added.

“We expect that the monsoon would bring luck for us in the coming days,” said Badrudduzza.

Nurul Absar, a fisherman living in Samitypara in Cox’s Bazar, said,

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