The fishermen of the district are now bound for Dublar Char as the season for collection of dry fish has started, reports UNB.

After getting pass (permission) from the Forest Department, the fishermen started their work on October 24.

Several thousands of fishermen have already reached five chars under Dublar in Sarankhola upazila.

The five chars are - Alorkol, Majher Kella, Meher Ali, Narikelbaria and Shelarchar.

The fishermen built makeshift on the bank of the Bay of Bengal during the season for catching and drying fish.

Normally, the season started in the second week of October and continued till March. In this year, the fishermen got the permission after October 22 as there was a government ban on hilsa netting from October 1-22. The Forest Department gave the fishermen pass on October 23.

M Mahmudul Hasan, divisional forest officer of Sundarban Eastern Division said that this year they permitted fishermen to stay in 870 makeshift houses, 38 fish depots ( for keeping fish) and 11 Bahaddars (wholesale fish traders).

The DFO said they have made it obligatory for the fishermen to keep national identity card with them due to the Rohingya crisis.

They also instructed the fishermen to follow several other rules.

According to information of DFO, the government earned 2.86 crore revenue from dry fish in 2016. The official hoped that the revenue will increase more this year.

Yunus Fakir, dry fish trader from Rayenda village of the upazila, said he is involved with the business for the last 40 years. He went to Dublar char with his two trawlers in every year. He said that the fishermen stay around 4 months in the Dublar char. Sometimes they suffer from various diseases in the char for not having any facilities of medical treatment.

The fishermen demanded for setting up a temporary medical camp in the char areas during the season for their treatment.