Socio-economic conditions of fishermen in Kanaighat Upazila of Sylhet, Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to portray the socioeconomic conditions of fishermen in Kanaighat upazilla, Sylhet. A well-structured questionnaire was used to gather data from a total of 50 randomly chosen fishermen. About 55% of fishermen worked exclusively in the fishing activities, while 30% worked in agriculture and 15% worked as day laborers. The fishermen' highest yearly income ranged from BDT 25,000 to 40,000, while their lowest annual income ranged from BDT 5000 to 10,000. About % of fisherman had no education, 32% could only sign, % had primary education (up to 5 classes), and just 3 % had both S.S.C. and H.S.C. Almost all fishermen had sanitary facilities, with 67.5 % having kaccha and 32.5 % having semi-concrete. Approximately 100 % of the fishermen utilized tube well water, with 65 % having their own tube-well and the remainder using a neighbor's tube-well. The government did not give Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGD) cards in the study area. The main obstacles were discovered to be a lack of scientific information, illiteracy, and a lack of governmental assistance. Mohajan provides most of them with fishing equipment such as a boat, a net, and credit. Fishermen employed a variety of nets, including Ber jal (seine net), Current jal (gill net), Jhaki jal (cast net), and Thela jal (Push net). The Surma River was the primary source of fishing. They also caught fish from the Andu, Rouwa, and Atghaiya beels. Fishers in the study region had no other choices for earning a living outside fishing in the area.