Desk Report,
An endangered porpoise weighing one maund caught in the Padma was sold for 700 taka
A dolphin weighing one maund has been caught in a net by fishermen in the Padma River of Goalanda Upazila of Rajbari. The endangered aquatic animal was caught near the ferry pier on Tuesday afternoon. Later in the evening, it was sold at Daulatdia pier for just Tk 700.
An endangered porpoise weighing one maund caught in the Padma was sold for 700 taka
Some local fishermen and fishermen said that fishermen from local and Manikganj went fishing in the Padma River yesterday afternoon amid adverse weather conditions. Fisherman Bairagi Halder from Balla area of Pabna cast his net several times. At one stage, when he felt a big jolt, he realized that something big had been caught. As soon as he pulled the net and lifted it into the boat, he saw a large dolphin. Later, the fishermen took it to Jahidul Islam’s shop in Daulatdia Ferry Pier area for sale. After weighing, it was found that the dolphin weighed about 40 kg.
Pabna fisherman Bairagi Halder said, “Some of us cast our nets in the river to catch fish. After a while, I thought that a big fish had been caught. I pulled the net and lifted it into the boat, and saw that a big porpoise had been caught. People do not eat porpoise as food. Many fishermen use porpoise oil to catch fish in the river with a long line.’
Zahidul Islam, a shopkeeper at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat, said on Wednesday morning that despite a long wait, the porpoise was not being sold. Later in the evening, Marwari fishermen from Goalanda Bazar area bought the porpoise for 700 taka for fishing. That night, the fishermen sold the porpoise and left for Balla in Manikganj.
Rajbari District Fisheries Officer Nazmul Huda said, ‘Hunting, transporting and selling porpoise is a punishable offense under the Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act. Porpoise is not usually seen in the river. During the rainy season, when the river water is murky, porpoise can be seen wandering with the fish to some extent. “We will work to create awareness so that no one hunts dolphins.”
