A Correspondent:
Fishing activities at Dublar Char in the Sundarbans have been disrupted by rough weather caused by Cyclone Arnab, forcing thousands of fishermen to take shelter in different canals of the mangrove forest.
Strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas in the Bay of Bengal have prevented fishermen from venturing into the sea despite the start of the dry fish season on October 30.
President of the Dublar Fishermen Group, Md Kamal Uddin Ahmed, told BSS on Friday that a large number of fishing boats reached Alorkol, Majherkella, Narikelbaria and Shelar Char on Friday morning after leaving late Thursday night.
However, the fishermen could not go ashore to build temporary shelters and fish-storage facilities due to rough weather. Instead, they took refuge in nearby canals with their boats and trawlers.
Forest Ranger Md Khalilur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Dublar Forest Patrol Outpost, said the fishermen could not start fishing after reaching the char due to unfavourable weather.
More than 7,000 fishermen have so far gathered at Dublar Char for the season. The char has four fishing settlements – Alorkol, Majherkella, Narikelbaria and Shelar Char.
Every year, more than 10,000 fishermen from different parts of the country gather there to catch and dry fish for commercial purposes. The dried fish are later transported to different markets across the country.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, said the revenue collection target from Dublar Char for the current season had been set at least Tk 8 crore.
The target was Tk 7.5 crore in the 2025-26 fiscal year, against which around Tk 7.25 crore was collected.
He said the Forest Department had held meetings with different security agencies to ensure fishermen’s safety, adding that although several pirate groups had surrendered, some remained active in the area.
