When we eat a very delicious Hilsa fish curry then we don’t get the feel of the dangerous lifestyle of their, For whom we can eat these delicious fish curry. Every day of them passes through a hostile situation. Every moment of their life is filled with life risks. Anyone doesn’t think about them who stands face to face of the terrible sea. So taking this matter in mind, Today we will try to know something about how the fishers catch fish in extreme situations. Means all about fishing in Sundarban.
On a trawler there stays the main boatman and an assistant boatman. For any reason, if the main boatman becomes ill then the other boatman controls the trawler in the deep sea. Except for these boatmen, there also stays 15 to 16 laborers. The laborers who stay in this trawler are locally called “Bhagi”. These laborers do the most physical labor. Because these laborers spread the fishing nets, take up the fishing nets and also these laborers release fishes from the fishing nets and put the fishes in a specific place. The money that is earned by selling these fishes in various fish markets all over West Bengal is used to pay all the due bills. After paying all the due bills the remaining money is divided equally among the laborers or Bhagis.
Let’s know this division.
The whole money that is earned through selling these fishes, 6% of this
goes to the shopkeeper of the fish market because he sold the fishes by
calling an auction.
After this the money is used to pay these:
1. The cost of diesel.
2. 10 - 12 days meal cost for 15 - 16 physical laborers.
3. The cost of buying ice.
After paying all these bills the 8% of the remaining money goes to the main
boatman and 60% of this money goes to the fishing boat owner.
Then the last money goes to the laborers. They divide the whole money
equally among themselves. The main boatman also takes one part of this.
You would be more surprised when you would know that one day the main
boatman slept while driving the trawler and then in the meantime, the boat
could not handle the push of rolling. The assistant boatman also could not
handle the boat from drowning. So the boat capsized. When this accident
happened 4 laborers were sleeping closing the door of the boat cabin. They
all could not come out of the cabin. All the laborers died inside the cabin.
Those who were outside the cabin, One of them also died only by
entangling in the fishing net. Because underwater, Taking yourself out from
any net is very very challenging. But these laborers are too much careful
that when the fish boat almost drowns due to the 1-floor tall wave of the
sea then they bond themselves using fat and strong rope. After the wave
passed the boatman counts all the heads to make sure that all the laborers
are fine and not float.
But the situation becomes more miserable when a tornado like Ayla and
Amphan crashes. At this time their chance of return is very low because
it has many obstacles. If they return home without carrying any fish they
would be facing the business owner’s anger. Because the owner books the
boatman by paying advance since 1 year ago and the boatman books the
16 laborers. But the condition for booking the laborers is that they will be
paid after selling fishes. At which time the trawler can not catch much fish
so that they can make a profit then the boatman intensionally does not take
the trawler to the port.
The boatmen take the trawler into narrow creeks. The creeks are too
narrow that entering in a tiger’s cage and entering a narrow creek like that
are equal.
