Banned in B’desh, Chinese nets trap birds, endangered turtles in Bengal wetlands
Times of India | 25 August 2024
Kolkata: A fishing net, prohibited in Bangladesh for at least three years, is now being employed extensively across Bengal, endangering not only fish but also endangered turtles and diverse array of wetland birds.
Bangladesh prohibited the manufacture, storage and utilisation of China Duari nets through a draft notification in 2021 because of the menace they posed to wetland faunal communities.According to members of Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL), the nets were mainly being used in Nadia, Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Cooch Behar. “China Duari nets are placed in shallow water bodies where they entrap fish that ingress through the funnel-like inlets. The mesh size is so small that even fries are incapable of escaping. Once deployed, the nets remain in wetlands for days, ensnaring not only fish but also invertebrates, frogs, snakes and birds. The potential to entrap fries and young fingerlings can lead to a significant decline in fish population over time. In fact, China Duari poses a major threat to the entire wetland animal community. These nets are also being increasingly employed for turtle poaching in Murshidabad,” said HEAL’s Suvrajyoti Chatterjee.
According to Chatterjee, among the turtles that were being caught regularly was the Indian flapshell turtle, considered vulnerable on IUCN Red List, and at times, the Indian peacock softshell turtle, considered endangered on the same list. Wetland birds such as jacana, little grebe and cormorant were also being caught in the nets. “Our NGO members are reporting 20-25 cases per month. The actual number is higher,” Chatterjee said, adding that they had already informed the fisheries department about the issue. “These Chinese-made nets are available online and have traps that can extend up to 50-100 metres. Each trap is made of fine-meshed plastic netting with a funnel-like inlet, woven around squarish or circular metal frames. The mesh size of these nets is similar to that of mono-filament gill nets, outlawed in India,” he added.
Roshni Sen, additional chief secretary of fisheries department, said that she was not aware of this.