Right Groups on Thursday urged the authorities concerned to keep poor fishermen out of the 65-days fishing ban on Bay of Bengal, and hold real ecosystem destructionists accountable.
Besides, they also demanded the involved people and businesses behind the sea pollution held accountable in order to protect the fish reserve and natural ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal.
COAST Trust and Bangladesh Fish Workers’ Alliance (BFWA) jointly formed a human chain in front of the national press club on Thursday.
Mujibul Huq Munir of COAST Trust said, small scale can’t harm the fish reserve or the natural ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal.
“They should have been exempted from the 65 days of fishing ban. But the big polluters who are the real threat for the sea and its biodiversity are hardly held accountable by the policy.”
Mustafa Kamal Akanda of COAST Trust said in his speech 40kg rice for 65 days of fishing ban as compensation is farce.
Every poor fishing families should get at least TK 8,000 per month during fishing ban.
Rehana Akter, the vice president of Bangladesh Krishok Federation said, all the fisher folk including the poor fishing labours should be officially enlisted so that they could be easily identified for compensation to avoid corruption and duplication.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said poor fishing community are only 4.0 per cent responsible for the ecosystem destruction in the Bay of Bengal and they are the only sufferer of the fishing ban.
The polluters of 96 per cent including plastic pollution, shipyards, oil spill are hardly addressed.
