A demand has been raised in Netrokona to immediately ban Chinese gillnets to save the local fish and aquatic life of the haor.
A human chain was held calling for strict enforcement of laws and regular monitoring to stop the use of these illegal nets that destroy the environment and biodiversity.
The human chain was held in front of the Netrokona Press Club on Tuesday afternoon, organized by the ‘Green Coalition’ and the private research institute ‘BARSIK’ and in collaboration with the ‘Agroecology Fund’. Later, a memorandum was submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources Advisor Syed Rizwana Hasan through the Netrokona Deputy Commissioner.
The human chain was addressed by Tanveen Jahan Chowdhury, president of the ‘Prakriti Bachao’ movement, Yogesh Chandra Das, president of the fishermen’s organization ‘Janma’, journalist Alpana Begum, vice-president of the district ‘Green Coalition’, Rifat Ahmed Russell, president of ‘Save the Animals of Susong’, journalist Mirza Hridoy Sagar, writer Sohrab Uddin Akand, social activist Mrinalkanti Chakraborty, and environmental activist Md. Ahidur Rahman, regional coordinator of BARSIC, along with farmers, fishermen, teenagers and members of various social organizations.
The speakers said that the China Duari net is a terrible threat to the ecosystem of the haor. Since the gaps in this net are very fine, all types of fish, big and small, get trapped in it. As a result, fish with eggs, fry, shrimp, turtles, frogs, crabs and other aquatic animals are dying indiscriminately. This is disrupting the fish breeding cycle and the biodiversity of the haor is facing destruction.
They said that despite the illegal and banned use of Chinese gillnets, their use is increasing day by day. Due to this, the fishery resources are under threat. The speakers demanded a complete ban on the production, sale, import, export, weaving and storage of these nets.
The speakers also said that the administration should conduct regular campaigns and increase the supervision of the Fisheries Office to prevent the use of these banned nets in haors, rivers, canals and beels. At the same time, those involved in this crime should be brought under the law and exemplary punishment should be ensured. After the human chain, the members of the District Green Coalition Committee handed over a memorandum to Environmental Advisor Syed Rizwana Hasan through the Deputy Commissioner.