By: BAPPY KHAN
Three otters with smooth coats were housed in an elongated bamboo enclosure in one of the corners of a moderately sized boat. Several kilogrammes of fish balls were procured from the market to supply them with one. The initiation of jumping by all three fish occurred precisely upon removing the cage lid and providing sustenance. After consuming their meal, the individuals were immersed in the water after achieving a state of relative tranquility. Immediately after the bamboo, connected by ropes, commenced swimming, the nets were immersed in the river.
Fish commonly find shelter beneath plants along the riverbanks. The smoth-coated otter actively follows the fish, enticinThe fishermen transport the successfully caught fish to the boat. The fisheThe fishermen grant a smooth-coated otter the privilege of consuming more fish.
I visited Malopara, a village near Goalbari, situated on the banks of Chitrandi in Narail Sadar Upazila, to witness a fishing technique that utilises a fishing net and has its origins in the year 1500.
Shyam Biswas is among the five fishing families in the region that continue to uphold the custom of fishing with the smoth-coated otters. After traversing the muddy trail of Malopara during the early autumn rainfall, I appeared aboard his boat. This fishing technique necessitates the collaboration of a minimum of four individuals, including the sailor. Fishermen primarily engaged in nocturnal fishing activities; nevertheless, upon our request, they opted to embark on the boat at midday on the same day.
During the fishing break, Shyam Biswas, Karthik Biswas, and Gandhi Biswas shared their experiences of living in Chitra Par, the customs of smoth-coated otters, and the necessary and prohibited practices of fishing.
Shyam Biswas has been confidently fishing in boats with smoth-coated otters since he gained wisdom. The individual received secure instruction from his father, Gadadhar Biswas. Chitra Par’s fishing community has deeply ingrained the fishing culture over numerous generations. In the past, the father and grandpa employed smoth-coated otter youngsters as pets for fishing purposes. “Using a smoth-coated otter for fishing can yield significantly higher fish catches than nets alone.” Shyam Biswas reports that the fishermen in the region are actively fishing.
The optimal period for flounder fishing is during the monsoons and winters. Every day, fishermen endure hardships throughout the fishing season due to climate change, the deteriorating state of the river, the use of Chinese nets for fishing, and the damage to the fish’s natural habitat caused by cutting the fence in the river. An adult octopus requires approximately 1 kilogramme of fish as its daily diet. In the event of insufficient fish caught in the nets, the only recourse is to get them from the market and provide them with sustenance.
The smoth-coated otter produces an annual litter of four to five offspring. Insufficient milk intake by the mother smoth-coated otter necessitates the provision of cow’s milk to the cubs via feeders. If you are ill, you must purchase medication and administer it.
Even a decade ago, fishermen could capture 10–12 kilogrammes of fish during a single night by using smoth-coated otters’ assistance. We need to increase the daily fish intake to 1-2 kg. Fishermen would have little difficulty raising the vultures if they caught a substantial quantity of fish in the nets. However, they need help allocating additional funds due to their limited income. There needs to be more interest among smoth-coated otter pets and anglers. The individual stated that their offspring do not exhibit any enthusiasm for this endeavour.
Individuals who engage in pet fishing for smoth-coated otters do not receive a fishing permit within the Sundarbans. Consequently, the lack of interest in this approach has grown.
The practice of fishing using nets in Asia has a long-standing legacy. The essay’Fishing with the Otter’ in Volume 61 of the American Naturalist, published in 1927, provides a comprehensive account of otter fishing. The report states that it is the first of its kind in China.