Fishing at the wrong river - Halda river, Bangladesh's biggest natural fisheries breeding ground

Fishing at the wrong river

The Halda is considered one of the most important rivers in Bangladesh as a natural fisheries breeding ground. However, collection of a variety of fish spawns has decreased greatly in recent times due to man-made crises and a lack of management, writes Faizul Khan Tanim

photo (dysfunctional sluice gate) by Al-Emrun Garjon

The River Halda is believed to be one of the most important rivers for the fishing industry because of its once abundant supply of fertilised carp (a type of freshwater fish including popular species like rohu, katla and mrigal) and other types of fish eggs, and conditions suitable for the brood (egg-laying) fish that produce them. Additionally, the Halda is the only source of sweet water where fishermen can collect fertilised eggs from the river bed and arrange for them to hatch later on, whereas only hatched fish fry (young fish) – and not fertilised eggs - can be caught in other rivers. ‘These brood fish migrate to this part of the Halda for the purpose of spawning in the months of April and May from the Karnaphuli, Matamuhuri and Shangu rivers.

They depend on special factors like water temperature, a specific river current and lightning to lay their eggs,’ says Shahriar Khaled, an activist associated with the Halda fishing crisis.

Egg crops have decreased greatly over the past few years. According to Dr. Md Ali Azadi, a professor in Chittagong University’s zoology department who has spent over 30 years researching the Halda, only 20 kg of fish fry was collected in 2004, a large decline from the 2,500 kilograms collected in 1946.

The local union chairman alleges that some residents and poachers are catching brood fish from the river during the breeding time, which runs from April to July. They often catch the brood fish using illegal fishing methods such as the use of current nets (nets with very small pores). Md Ilias, a local fisherman, explains that brood fish are weak before laying their eggs, causing them to float near the surface and fall prey to illegal fishing. Other fishermen warn that if the brood fish are caught before spawning, they cannot reproduce. Khaled says, ‘As a result of dishonest fishing, the total egg harvest and fish production is in danger and the river is getting empty of both carp fry and adult fish.’ This activity is often done with the help of local crime syndicates.

Khaled says local committees have appealed to government to assist them in their effort to have the Halda recognised by the UN as a World Heritage Site for its uniqueness and significance, which would afford them greater resources to protect the river and to raise awareness about its importance. During the British India period, Halda fish eggs were exported to Burma and other parts of India. In the 1960s and 70s, two thirds of the ponds in Bangladesh used spawn from the Halda to fill their fish populations.

The local residents dependent on the Halda have made recommendations to save the brood fish and fish fry. Ilias says ‘We need to create alternative sources of income for the fishermen and create awareness among the locals to discourage unscrupulous fishing’.

The Halda flows through the Raujan, Hathazari and Fatikchari thanas of northern Chittagong. The Chittagong District Fisheries Office, the body monitoring the Halda, has taken steps by undertaking several projects and declaring the 10-15 km surrounding area along the river in the Hathazari and Fatikchhari thanas a fish sanctuary some years back. However, the enforcement of this declaration has been poor due to a boundary dispute between the two thanas.

Residents and fishermen dependent on the Halda say if this breeding ground is to be revived, some mandatory steps need to be taken immediately: river bank erosion in two upazillas, Hathazari and Raujan, has to be stopped by putting in boulders and blocks in place; the natural carp breeding areas must be precisely identified and marked; and these areas must be declared fish sanctuaries and no-fishing zones, brought under constant surveillance to prevent unauthorised fishing, particularly during the breeding period from April to July.

The next stages involve river dredging (clearing sediment from the riverbed) and the building of embankments. Repairs must be made to eight of the river’s 12 sluice gates (sliding gates controlling water flow), with navigation gates for proper water flow. Gate operators need to be appointed for each sluice gate.

Choton Kanti Das, a representative of the fishing community of the Halda and Abul Kashem Chowdhury, the chairman of the number 10 North Madarshah union, say that as a part of one project, certain areas of the river would be declared sanctuaries, restricting fishing and the movement of engine boats, and penalizing the use of illegal nets. It is the implementation of projects like this that offer hope, but if these projects are neglected the country will suffer from a shortage of the carp fishes that make up 43 percent of fish demand in the country, according to local experts. Chittagong district fisheries officer (DFO) Ershad Miah says, ‘A fund of almost thirteen crore Taka was dispersed in November 2007 by the government of Bangladesh for a five-year Halda project including research, NGO activity, to build hatcheries and other efforts to restore the Halda to its previous, prosperous state’.