Why do Bangladesh's fishermen dice with death?
Blogged by: Emma Batha
Many of the people who died in Cyclone Sidr were fishermen. Ships and boats were called to shore days ago, so why did some stay out at sea?
Part of the problem is that this time of year is potentially quite lucrative for fishermen.
"When there's low pressure the fish come up (towards the surface) so it's a good time to catch fish but it's also the most dangerous time," says Wahida Bashar Ahmed, aid agency ActionAid's emergencies co-ordinator for Bangladesh.
"We need to build up awareness among fishermen."
But there is another reason why fishermen stay out. Many don't own their boats and owe money to the owners.
"The boat owners send them to fish. It's a kind of bonded labour so we have to tackle the whole system," Ahmed says. "We need to have a different strategy for the fishermen."
CARE's spokesman in Bangladesh, Jamil Ahmed, agreed that the relationship between boat owners and fishermen was a problem but said that poverty also meant some fishermen simply ignored weather warnings.
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