Khulna Correspondent: The entrance to the Sundarbans has been closed for three months starting today. The forest department has taken this decision to ban entry into the Sundarbans to protect wildlife and fish migration and breeding activities in the rivers and canals. During this time, fishing will be prohibited in the rivers and canals of Sundarban, along with the movement of common people. Due to the ban, the foresters of the coastal areas—fishers, bawalis, and mauals—have started returning to their localities from the deep Sundarbans. The hardworking people who depend on the Sundarbans are worried about how to run their families during the long 92-day ban. Due to the closure of access to the Sundarbans, the assistance provided by the government is much less than the demand. That is why the foresters have demanded an increase in the allocation of government assistance.
The forest department says that if this ban is implemented, the animals and forest resources of the Sundarbans will increase. In this way, the beauty of the Sundarbans will increase several times. According to the information provided by the forest department, fishing in all rivers and canals has been closed from June 1 to August 31 every year since 2019 to protect the fishery resources of the Sundarbans. In the 6 thousand 17 square kilometers of Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans, the watershed is 1 thousand 874.1 square kilometers, which is 31.15 percent of the entire Sundarbans area. There are 210 species of white fish, 24 species of shrimp, and 14 species of crabs in the waters of the Sundarbans. Most of the fish in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans lay their eggs during the three months of breeding season, from June to August. For this reason, the forest department has stopped all types of permission for fishermen to enter the Sundarbans for 92 days starting June 1. During this time, the entry of tourists, the movement of common people, and fishing in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans will be prohibited.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Forest Division Muhammad Belayet Hossain said that the area of Bangladesh in the Sundarbans is 6 thousand 17 square kilometers. There are 210 species of white fish, 24 species of shrimp, 14 species of crabs, and 43 species of mollusks and lobsters in this section. The fish breeding season is mainly from June to August in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans.
He also said that fishing in all rivers and canals of the Sundarbans is closed from July 1 to August 31 every year from 2019 onwards as per IRMP recommendations. This year, in coordination with the Department of Fisheries, the ban has been extended by another month, starting June 1. He said that if this ban is implemented, the animals and forest resources of the Sundarbans will increase more. In this way, the beauty of the Sundarbans will increase several times. On the one hand, if fishing is stopped in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans, the number of fish will increase, and there will be a positive impact on all organisms, including other animals and plants.
According to Forest Department sources, 2,900 boats have boat license certificates to enter the Sundarbans at the Kashiabad, Baniakhali, and Kobadak forest stations of Koira upazila under the Khulna range. Among them, there are 13 thousand and 526 registered jailers in Koira. During the ban, these fishermen were given 86 kg of rice in 3 months under the VGF program.
