Native Fish Vanish from Chalan Beel as Dried-Fish Output Falls Nearly 39 Percent in a Year

The native fish of Sirajganj's Chalan Beel and its traditional dried-fish industry, deeply tied to the Bengali identity of 'fish and rice,' are now in serious crisis. As the supply of native fish in the beel has fallen sharply, dried-fish production has dropped by nearly 39 percent in a year, processing yards are closing one after another, and traders, fishers and thousands of working people are in trouble.

There was a time when the dried-fish yards along the beel bustled with an abundance of native fish. Rows of fish drying on bamboo racks, busy workers and the smell of dried fish filled the whole area with life. That familiar scene has now faded considerably, and with fish supplies falling further this season, fresh concern has arisen over production.

According to the Sirajganj fisheries department, the district produces 78,945.14 metric tonnes of fish a year in total. Of that, 5,230.73 metric tonnes come from Ullapara and Tarash upazilas in the Chalan Beel area. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, 60 dried-fish yards in those two upazilas produced 302 metric tonnes of dried fish worth about Tk 8 crore. But in 2024-25 production fell to 185.17 metric tonnes — a drop of about 38.7 percent in a single year.

The fall in production has directly affected the country's dried-fish market as well. According to sources concerned, about 58 percent of the country's dried-fish demand is now met by imports from India, Myanmar and Pakistan. Yet Chalan Beel's dried fish has a nationwide reputation and strong demand abroad. Traders estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes of dried fish are imported from those three countries every month, and there are also complaints about the quality of some of the imported product.

Local people say places in Chalan Beel that once held water all year now have water only in the monsoon. Falling groundwater levels, the filling of natural wetlands, unplanned roads and embankments, and the expansion of housing and industry are shrinking the natural habitat of fish. Poison-based fish farming, natural disasters and the destruction of breeding grounds are also thought to be playing a part in the decline of native fish.

On a recent visit to Arua Pangasi village in Ullapara, men and women were seen working at a few yards making dried fish. Punti, kholse, chela, tengra, batasi, shrimp, nala and taki fish were drying on bamboo racks. But with fish supplies lower than last year, the yards were noticeably less busy.

Local yard owner Zakaria said this is the peak season for dried-fish production, yet Chalan Beel faces an acute fish shortage. He is forced to buy raw fish from other areas, which raises costs and cuts profits. Last year his yard produced about 35 tonnes of dried fish; this year he doubts it will reach even 10 to 15 tonnes. Local fish once met most of the demand; now collecting fish itself is the biggest challenge.

In Zakaria's view, no large-scale modern dried-fish processing plant has yet been built in the country, and scientific storage is also lacking. With government initiatives in modern technology, better storage and easy-term loans, both production and exports of this industry could be increased.

Behind the bustle of the yards lies the hard struggle of working people. Woman worker Shilpi Begum said she works 11 hours straight, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., for a wage of only Tk 200. Running a five-member family on that income has become difficult for her; with no alternative work, she is forced to labour at the dried-fish yard. If yards close, these workers' incomes stop too.

Dried-fish trader Abdus Salam of Mannannagar in Tarash said production has stopped at about 50 percent of yards because of the fish shortage, putting around 6,000 working people in economic crisis. Without fish, he said, many yards cannot be kept running; even those operating cannot get raw fish as needed, so workers cannot be given regular work either.

According to local traders, dried fish in Chalan Beel is made from species including shol, boal, punti, kholse, chela, tengra, batasi, shrimp, nala, taki and baim. The area's quality dried fish is exported to 10 to 12 countries including the United States, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates; about 20 percent of local production goes to foreign markets. Dried fish is graded A, B and C by quality; grade A is mainly for export, while grades B and C are sold in Dhaka, Syedpur, Teesta and other regions, mostly reaching abroad through Dhaka traders.

Prices offer little comfort either. Depending on species, size and quality, dried fish from small fish sells for Tk 15,000 to 25,000 per maund and from large fish for Tk 22,000 to 36,000. Yet because of the raw-fish shortage, collection and transport costs and falling production, traders cannot make the expected profit. Many fishers, unable to get enough fish, are also losing interest in fishing.

Local trader Abdul Alim said there was once not enough room at his yard to make dried fish; this year, for lack of fish, silence hangs over the yard. He complained that although the government earns revenue from this sector every year, effective initiatives for its development are barely visible, and dried fish is still made by traditional methods.

Traders say that for the sustainable development of this industry, the breeding grounds and habitats of Chalan Beel's native fish must be protected first. Improved drying technology, hygienic processing centres, quality control, storage facilities and easy-term loans are also needed.

For the administration, Ullapara senior upazila fisheries officer Ataur Rahman said various Department of Fisheries activities are ongoing to conserve native species and increase production, including stopping illegal current nets and duari nets, protecting fry and conserving breeding grounds. District fisheries officer Mahbubur Rahman said Chalan Beel's dried fish has both reputation and demand, and yard owners are being trained regularly on conserving native fish and improving quality.

Chalan Beel's dried-fish industry is at once a national tradition and a promising sector for employment and export earnings. The shrinking of natural fish sources, limits in the production system and the lack of modern storage infrastructure are weakening it steadily. Without expert-level planning, effective fisheries management, conservation of wetlands and breeding grounds and modern processing, the crisis could deepen further — which is why a coordinated initiative is now needed, from support for yard owners to protecting biodiversity, fair wages for workers and ensuring export quality.