Sundarbans' Dublar Char: Turning fish to fortune

It's a scene out of a picture book.

Nestled along the shores of the Bay of Bengal, bordered on the other side by beautiful Sundari trees of the Sundarbans, lies a couple of villages.

Here, the air is pungent with the smell of fish, left out to dry. Little tin-sheds dot the land, while trawlers line the nearby ghat.

Loud music blares out from some chattels, which also house straw huts and tents with their own solar power systems.

The rest of the land is almost draped in hues of silver, the sun glistening off the fish which cover the ground.

This is the Shutki Palli in Dublar Char. Although only 66 square kilometres in area, or almost less than five times the size of the capital, this char in Khulna's Bagherhat generates Tk250 crore only in dry fish annually.

Some 1,000 Mahajans – who own 3-5 trawlers – and 35 Bahrdars – who have more than 5 trawlers – have been given permission for fishing and drying in five places in Dublar Char.

Each Mahajan has received at least one bigha of land as per demand for setting up fish-drying sheds.

On average, there are about 20 fishermen and employees with each Mahajan.

The fishing and drying season lasts only six months – October to March–, after which the men return back to their homes.

Dublar Char is located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, about 70 nautical miles (130 km) from the localities of Mongla and Sharankhola upazilas.

Drying activities are carried out in Alorkol, Magherkella, Narkel Baria, Shelarchar and Meherali areas.

Deep-trawlers are used for fishing, which are then brought back to the villages, separated according to species and then dried.

Tilapia, Faishya and other small fish are kept for drying on the ground, while bigger ones like Loita are hung on fish racks or bamboo.

There is a system of power supply for a short period centrally through generators in the char.

Electricity is supplied from 5pm to 10pm.

As evening descends, the call for prayers blares out from some of the mosques in the char.

Lights begin to go up, one by one, bringing the whole floodplains to life, almost resembling a city.

The island also has temples, many of which carry the idol of the sacred Bon Bibi.

Although not worshipped, the Bon Bibi – the guardian of the forest – is revered by all.

Some temples also house the goddess Ganga.

Moreover, the char is famous for the Ras festival. For hundreds of years, Ras Puja and Punyasnan have been taking place in Alorkol of Dublar Char on the banks of the Bangaposar at the end of the Sundarbans.

Land of silver

Jahan Ali Sardar, a Mahajan in Alorkol, came to the char from Rampal.

He has been in the trade for 35 years.

"I invested Tk25 lakh for six months. I hope to sell the fish for Tk35 lakhs," he said.

The small villages don't only meet demand for dried fish in the country, but also net a tidy sum for government coffers due to the revenue those generate.

According to the sources of the forest department, 4,105 tons of dried fish were extracted from Dublar Char in 2018-19.

The forest department's revenue collected stood at Tk2.68cr that year.

In the 2020-21 period, this amount rose to Tk3.2cr.

Fishermen have to pay Tk10 per kilogramme of fish to the government as revenue.

According to fishermen, last year about Tk250cr worth of dried fish was sold from the char.

This year, the expectation is that the number might go up to Tk300cr.

Fishy business

The fishing villages in Dublar Char have been developed in five places in Dublar Char.

More than 35,000 people, mostly men and some children, are involved in this work every year.

The dried fish is supplied to major commercial hubs of the country including Dhaka, Chattogram, Rangpur and Syedpur.

These dried fish are unique in taste and quality, still holding the essence of the sea and the sun without the corruption through use of chemicals.

Fishermen from districts Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar areas are involved in the work.

Dublar Char is under the Sharankhola Range of the Eastern Forest Division of Sundarbans.

Qutbuddin Mollah, the manager of Khan Shafiullah Transport, said there are 8-10 transport agencies working to transport dry fish from Dublar Char.

On why fish wasn't being exported, Mollah said, "We do not have fridge drawers and cold storage in the fish centres."

Others said fish for exports had to be dried in a different way, but this wasn't available in Bangladesh.

Mollah, however, said some big prawns were sent to processing factories in Khulna and Bagerhat, from where those were taken abroad.

The six-month market

For the fishermen, beautifully-decorated shops have been built around the eastern side of Alorkol in Dublar Char.

This bazaar is called "New Market" and it operates six-months of the year in full swing.

Despite the seclusion, the prices are reasonable.

An affinity is also shared when the fishermen and shop owners are from the same region.

Each year, the shopkeepers sell most of their products on credit. The money is collected when the fishermen return home to their actual villages.

Sometimes, the shopkeepers even go to their creditors' homes to collect any debt.

Biplab Roy, the owner of a barbershop, was busy cutting hair.

Roy from Khulna's Dumuria upazila said he also owns a salon in Dumuria's Thukra Bhakta.

"But when it's time to come to Dublar Char, you can't sit in your area anymore."

He has been coming to Alorkol for the last 10 years and his income is usually good in the six-months of business.

Suraj Roy, a grocer, said shops get products keeping in mind the needs of the people.

When a product runs out, it has to be brought back by a trawler.

Not all that glittery

The picturesque villages, however, harbour a danger, which their appearances do not betray.

Any cyclones or storms which originate in the area, hit the Dublar Char first.

Most natural disasters in Bangladesh also occur between September and December, the prime time in the fishing village.

Due to this reason, residents of Dublar Char keep their ears pricked for any news of impending disasters.

Most of the people working in Dublar Char demand that several cyclone shelters should be constructed there.

There is also an acute shortage of safe water in that area. Some wells have been dug, but during the monsoon season, water accumulates in the wells which is no longer safe for consumption.

Trawlers often have to be used to bring in water from afar.

Of any disease in the area, Tariqul Islam, a pharmacist, said, "Most of the patients come with stomach ache and gastric problems. This is because the fishermen here cannot get clean water."

There are no modern medical facilities in char.

Kamal Uddin Ahmed, president of Dublar Char Fisherman Group, said, "The government generates crores of taka from Dublar Char by extracting marine resources. At the same time, the char meets a large part of the country's fish demand. However, those who work in the profession do not have minimal facilities. During the six months when the fishermen stay at the char, they have to suffer.

"To solve that problem, if 8 to 10 ponds are dug across char, it will be very beneficial to the fishermen. Besides, a floating hospital and adequate cyclone shelters are needed," he said.