SUSHANTA GHOSH, Barishal

Thousands of fishermen across Barishal division have been passing idle days and suffering financial losses as most fishing trawlers are left anchored at docks amid the ongoing fuel shortage.

This in turn has disrupted the supply of fish in local markets to a significant extent.

More than 1,000 sea-going trawlers remain stranded in Alipur and Mohipur, leaving over one lakh fishermen and workers unemployed. Investors in the fishing sector are facing significant losses, particularly those operating with bank loans.

Pritam Das, owner of two trawlers that have remained docked at Mohipur river port since Eid, said each needs around 14 barrels of fuel per trip, but they have not been able to collect any fuel from dealers in Kalapara.

“As such, around 50 fishermen and crew members of the two trawlers are now sitting idle. We are spending nearly Tk 50,000 daily just to maintain them,” he said, adding that despite informing the district fisheries office and the upazila administration, there has been no effective solution yet.

Abdul Jalil, owner of Messrs Moni Fish, said he owns six trawlers and has investments in around 200 others. “All of those are now stuck at the port amid fuel shortage,” he added.

He explained that large trawlers require 20–30 barrels of fuel per trip, medium-sized ones need 10–15 barrels, and smaller vessels need at least two barrels. A typical fishing trip lasts around 10 days.

“No one is addressing our situation. Thousands of fishermen and workers have become jobless. Many had previously taken bank loans and are now facing severe financial hardship,” he added.

Md Israil Pandit, president of a fishers’ association in Barishal division, said the crisis has severely affected around 5,00,000 fishing families.

The impact has also affected related industries. Fish supply to markets across Barishal has declined sharply, prompting a drop in ice production due to reduced demand, according to the Barishal Divisional Fisheries Office.

According to wholesale fish traders at the Port Road Market in Barishal city, they are now selling around 500 maunds of fish daily, half of what they used to sell daily around this time last year.

Golam Kabir, an official of Barishal Ice Mill Owners’ Association, said the demand for ice has fallen to only 200–250 maunds against the total production capacity of 1,500–1,600 maunds in the region’s five ice mills.

Retail ice trader Suman said he usually sells 15–20 maunds of ice at Tk 400 per maund, but sales have dropped significantly due to the shortage of fish in the market.

According to Mohammad Anisuzzaman, senior assistant director of the Department of Fisheries in Barishal, fish supply at 108 landing stations across the division has declined by more than 30 percent, leading to an increase in price by 20-100 percent.

He also noted that a seasonal ban on sea fishing is scheduled to begin on March 15, but fishermen have already been unable to go to sea due to the fuel crisis.

“They have requested fuel support so they can at least make one trip before the ban,” he added.

Meanwhile, some 2,30,389 of the around 3,00,000 registered fishermen in the division are currently receiving government food assistance, officials said.

Contacted, Anisur Rahman, a senior sales officer of Meghna Petroleum Company, denied any overall fuel supply shortage. He claimed that the company is meeting around 90 percent of demand, supplying up to 2,50,000 litres of fuel daily to 29 petrol pumps and 68 dealers in the region.

He, however, admitted that fishing trawlers have not been receiving fuel since Eid. “Following a request from the Kalapara upazila nirbahi officer, we have supplied around 27,000 litres of fuel to two local dealers for distribution,” he added.

Confirming the development, Kalapara UNO Kawsar Hameed said 27,000 litres of fuel, allocated to two dealers in Kalapara, are being distributed among fishers.