The election wind has touched the Dublar Char, popularly known as “Shutki Polli” or Dried Fish Village, near the Sundarban in full swing as the 12th parliamentary election is knocking at the door. Thousands of fishermen have been leaving for home to join the voting festivities as they want to elect their favorite candidate by voting. A number of fishermen were seen today leaving for the coast with their boats with high enthusiasm. According to the Forest Department, more than 9,000 fishermen who came to Dublar Char during the dried fish processing season have returned home to vote. 14 fishermen, missing after trawler capsize in Bay of Bengal, rescued by Dublar Char fishers Dublar Char consists of Alorkol, Middle Fort, Coconut Baria and Shalar Char. Every year, several thousand fishermen and hired hands flock to the area to catch fish and make shutki (dried fish). The Forest Department also said that this year, the authorities concerned have given permission to erect 108 makeshift houses and 78 depots for accommodation of fishermen and preservation of dried fish. Fishermen usually return home at the end of the season. But this time the fishermen are returning to their respective homes to cast their votes in the parliamentary elections. The fishermen hail from Sharankhola, Rampal, Morrelganj, Mongla, Khulna Sadar, Koyra, Dakop, Batiaghata, Satkhira Sadar, Ashusuni and other upazilas of Bagerhat district. 10,000 fishermen likely to gather at Dublar Char as dried fish processing season starts Several fishermen from Rampal and Mongla areas of Bagerhat district, Dakop of Khulna district and Satkhira said that they want to elect their preferred candidates in the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections. Many will go to their homes by Saturday morning. After voting on Sunday, they will leave for Dublar Char again on Monday with boats. The fishermen expect that whoever they vote for will be elected and speak for them in parliament. The elected representatives will work to improve the fate of the common people. Fishermen hope the next government will keep the prices of essential commodities including rice, pulses and oil within the purchasing capacity of the common people. Forester Md Khalilur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Dublar Char fishermen's patrol outpost, said more than 10,000 fishermen come to Dublar Char during the 'Shutki' season. After the allocation of symbols to the candidates in the election, many of the fishermen living there campaigned for their preferred candidate. Some even hung posters of the candidate in Dublar Char. "Two days before casting their votes in the 12th parliamentary elections on January 7, the fishermen left for their homes with permitted boats," he added. Bagerhat's Dublar Char abuzz as fish drying season begins Md Khalilur Rahman said there are now about 1,000 fishermen in Dublar Char. The fishermen who went to vote will return to Dublar Char on Monday. Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Dubla Fisherman Group, said fishermen were huge enthusiastic about the 12th parliamentary election this year. Ninety percent of the fishermen return home with their boats to vote. According to the Sundarban Forest Department, the 'Shutki' season started in November and will continue till March.

A total of 10,000 fishermen from coastal areas are expected to gather at Dublar Char, popularly known as “Shutki Polli” or Dried Fish Village, as dried fish processing season kicked off. Every year, several thousand fishermen and hired hands flock to the area to catch fish and make shutki (dried fish). According to the forest department, this year, the authorities concerned have given permission to erect 108 makeshift houses and 78 depots for accommodation of fishermen and preservation of dried fish. Bagerhat's Dublar Char abuzz as fish drying season begins The fishermen will catch fish using 1500 trawlers in the Sundarbans. They will process the fish and keep those under the sun for drying. Dublar Char is already buzzing with workers and traders after the authorities issued permits to fishermen to catch fish. Thousands of Dublar Char fishermen take oath together with PM on Victory Day Last year, the government earned Tk 6 crore revenue from Dublar Char and this year, a Tk 7 crore target has been set. Different species of fish including Loitta, Faissa, Koral, Pomfret, Chhuri, Tuna and many more are being processed at Dublar Char. The demand of dried fish from the area is high as they are processed without using chemicals and formalin. Dublar Char comes alive as Sutki fish season gets underway Rabiul Islam, a fisherman from Rampal upazila, said he came to Dublar Char on Friday and spent a busy day making makeshift houses with bamboo, polythene and hogla (long dry grass used for sheds). Shahid Mallik, president of Matsyajibi Samity, said thousands of fishermen have already reached the area while many went to the sea to catch fish. Dilip Majumdar, officer-in-charge of Alorkol camp, said the fishermen are busy erecting makeshift houses and it takes two to three days to complete. Some fishermen were busy processing their catch under the open sky, he said. Rana Deb, assistant forest conservator of Sundarbans East zone, said the dried fish processing season began on November 3 and will continue till March 31, next year. The fishermen will live in Alorkol, Majherkella, Narikelbaria and Shelar Char for five months. Sheikh Mahbub Hasan, assistant conservator of Forests under Sharankhola Range, said the forest department has been asked to remain vigilant so that no one in the guise of fishermen can commit crimes on Dublar Char.  

With the start of the season of Sutki fish (dried) thousands of fishermen have spanned out across the Bay of Bengal around the Sundarbans forest with boats and nets to catch fish. Workers and traders are already buzzing about Dublar Char, known as the Sutki Palli or Dried Fish Village after the authorities issued permits to fishermen to catch fish, bring them on Dublar Char and process them into dried fish, a delicacy in Bangladesh. Similar hectic activities are also being reported from 13 other small islands where live fish is processed into dried one. Starting from November 1 the season will last until March 31. Read Also: Sundarbans fishermen remain a neglected lot Dublarchar in the Sundarbans, a mangrove, is known as ‘Shutki Polli’ as every year, fishermen and people related to dried fish business throng in the area for catching fish and processing. There are fishermen who make the catch and sell it to the dried fish traders. The traders employ workers, many of them allegedly underage, to process the fish into Sutki and supply it to the markets mainly in Chattogram, where it is especially popular. Thousands of fishing families, workers and traders depend on this growing economic sector of Bangladesh.  Read Also: Cox’s Bazar to get dried fish-processing industry; Tk 199-cr project okayed Different kinds of fish such as Loitta (bombay duck), Churi (knief fish) shrimp, pomfret, poa  will be dried up and make ready for the market. As many as 15,000 fishermen and traders (mohajon)  gather at Dublarchar, Meher Ali char, Alorkol, Office Killa, Majherkilla, Shelar Char, Narikelbaria, Choto Ambaria, Boro ambaria, Manikkhali, Kabarkhali, Chaprakhali, Kokilmoni and Haldakhali chars every year. They live  in makeshift huts on the islands for the entire season.  

For a country which happens to one of the world's most important inland fishing nations, fishermen and fisheries get little to no attention from the government authorities.