10,000 fishermen dead in two decades: Study
Over 10,000 fishermen are believed to have died after their fishing vessels capsized in different points in the coastal areas and in the Bay during last 20 years, says a study.
Around 3500 bodies of the victims could be recovered immediately after the accidents while the rest are thought to have floated away, it adds.
The Green Club of Bangladesh (GCB), an environment and human rights organisation, prepared the study report with information from different government and non-government organisations including the Department of Shipping (DOS), Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), and upazila offices, and talks with some victim families, said GCB General Secretary Ashis Kumar Dey.
The report obtained by The Daily Star yesterday says around 2400 large and small fishing vessels sank between January 1991 to June 2011, inflicting a loss worth Tk 480 crore.
Major reasons for the accidents include operating the vessels without proper rules, not preserving lifejacket, not listening to weather forecasts, and excessive profit earning tendency, said MMD Principal Official Capt Habibur Rahman.
According to the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1983, all fishing vessels must be registered with the MMD, an affiliated organisation of DOS, before starting its operation.
But the study found that at least 50,000 large and small fishing vessels are plying fishing points in different coastal districts and in the Bay while only 1320 vessels are registered.
The MMD gave registration to some 10,000 fishing vessels but registration of over 8000 vessels were cancelled as they did not have annual fitness certificate or annual survey certificate regularly, reveals the study.
MMD's Capt Habibur told The Daily Star, "Most of the fishing vessel owners do not come to the department [MMD] for registration renewal every year. We wait few years. At one stage, registrations are cancelled automatically."
Replying to quarries on how a huge number of unregistered fishing vessels are plying, DOS Director General Commodore Jobair Ahmad said his department has taken necessary measures to bring all the fishing vessels under registration.
According to Capt Rahman, there are two kinds of fishing vessels in the country -- fishing trawler and fishing boat. A vessel with a length of 24-50 metres and a 450-1800 horsepower engine is considered fishing trawlers. The trawlers usually ply the deep-sea. On the other hand, 15-22 metres long vessels with a 20-40 horsepower engine are considered fishing boats that ply the confluences of the Bay and other coastal points.
The GCB study says about three lakh people of different coastal districts including Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Barguna, Khulna, and Patuakhali live on fishing.
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