Joynal Abedin Siam:

The destruction of snail and mussel is going on unabated in greater Chalan Beel of Tarash upazila in Sirajganj district that posing serious threat to the biodiversity.

As there is no specific instruction about destruction of oyster and snail in the Fisheries Conservation Act, showing excuse on it the concerned Fisheries Department is not taking any action in this regard, locals said.

It can be seen on the ground that snails and mussels are collected on a large scale from various Beel areas every year during the monsoon season. The work of collecting snails and mussels goes on from July to October. As this year, the water of the Beel has started receding in late, collection of snails and mussels will have to continue for another month.

Photo: Collected

Local people are illegally collecting snails and mussels in about 500 boats in 20-25 places in the upazila, including Kamarshon, Dighi Saguna, Kundail, Makarshon, Bil-Nado, Mannan Nagar, Ghargram, Magura Binod and Hamkuria every day. About two to three tons of snails and mussels are collected every day. Some unscrupulous traders are also involved in supplying small dinghies (boats) to local poor farmers and fishermen to collect snails and mussels.

Every day from morning to afternoon, hundreds of people get down in the Beel in search of snail and oysters. Each person collects three to four sacks of snails, which is sold between Tk 400 and Tk 500.

Local traders are buying these snails and supplying to different destinations including Khulna, Bagerhat and Chattogram as foods for fish farms. They said that, snails, worth about Tk 20 crore, are sold from Chalan Beel area every year.

Snail collector Abdul Motaleb said that, “We have no work as the farming has now ended during the monsoon. So, we collect snails with the courage of local snail traders for our livelihood. We earn Tk 400 to 500 per head daily by collecting snails and mussels.

Snail and oyster trader Abdul Momin said that, “There are 20 to 25 big and small traders in the area. They buy snails from local collectors and sell them at wholesale prices in different districts. Snails are bought and sold for three to four months during the monsoon.”

Associate Professor Bidyut Kumar of the Zoology Department of Tarash Degree College said, “Although snails are considered aquatic animals in the Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act of 2012, snail killing is going on in violation of this law. Although there is a provision of jail and fines for the crime of snail collection, snail killing is not stopping due to the lack of law enforcement.

He further said that, snails and mussels breed in open water bodies, especially canals, haors and ponds. On the other hand, they purify the water by eating the insects in the dirty water of the water bodies. Snails fulfill the demand of foods for fishes.

Tarash Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nusrat Jahan said, “I am not aware about the destruction of snails and mussels. If this happens, awareness should be raised. If necessary, legal action will be taken against unscrupulous traders.”