We are gravely concerned over the missing of 16 fishermen in the Bay of Bengal. Sixteen fishermen from Charfashion upazila of Bhola went missing as their three trawlers carrying them got caught in a storm while went to deep sea for fishing in the early hours of June 27.
The trawlers belonged to two siblings Rahman Boddar and Abul Baddar, who were also in the trawlers during the storm. However, Abul Baddar along with other fishermen and two trawlers was able to return home amid rough weather but his brother Rahman Boddar and 15 other fishermen have not returned yet.
All the 16 fishermen were on their respective trawlers when they encountered a ferocious storm. Therefore, the relatives of missing fishermen think they might have died as their engine-driven trawler capsized in the bay.
Hundreds of fishermen either have gone missing or died in different coastal districts of the country as the fishermen have to fight against natural enmities, storms, floods and turbulent waves constantly while fishing in rivers and seas.
Fishermen are always requested to follow the weather forecast. But they have a tendency to violate the forecast saying if they sit idle, they would have to face starvation.
The tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organised convection and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation. Bangladesh is frequently visited by natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, storm surges and floods.
Many people living in the coastal districts depend directly or indirectly on marine fishing for their livelihood. In Bangladesh, every year over 1,350 fishermen die at sea, in boats without the most basic safety equipment – or even clean drinking water, according to a data of Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s fish SAFE 2025 project that provides safety awareness training for fishing communities, helping save the lives of the world’s poorest fishermen.
Our fishermen earn foreign exchange from abroad by exporting fish. But most of the time boat owners do not provide life jacket, life buoys and other lifesaving equipment to fishermen.
The government will have to provide all kinds of assistance to the fishermen especially those catch fishes in the sea. On the other hand, fishermen must remain close to the coast and proceed with caution during bad weather. The fishermen are strongly advised not to venture into sea during the period of any storm. We hope the authorities concerned will take necessary steps to trace the 16 fishermen who have been reported missing in the Bay since June 27.