Foldable Fish Trap: A death blow to our wetlands

At the first glance, foldable fish traps are evocative of snakes. These traps are long and often deployed in a serpentine fashion, half-drowned or just below the waterline. Painted green, they blend well with the reedbeds by the water body. The overall stature has an eerie semblance of an anaconda waiting for the next meal. Foldable fish traps are made of a steel framework holding a very narrow, plastic-made meshed net. The structure is usually built multi-sectioned; every unit is equally operational and can trap from both lateral sides. You can also liken these traps to some prehistoric swamp centipedes.

Foldable fish traps are not indigenous fishing techniques; never used in Bangladesh waters until recently. The fish traps that are used by our countrymen are fundamentally different. From single to triple-chambered traps, the local traps are usually made of rattan and bamboo that last for one monsoon or two. The build varies regionally. A least a dozen variants exist in Bangladesh, each rarefied with years of local knowledge and craftsmanship. Well, they did even a couple of years back. Then, foldable fish traps entered the market. Being cheap, expandable and deadly in performance, the new product simply ostracised the traditional gears. 

My first meeting with these new traps happened in Moulvibazar, an epicentre of fishing cat conservation activities in Bangladesh. Our tri-wheeler was shot past the wetlands. In the morning light, effervescent fishermen were extracting the harvest. My colleagues and I both wondered watching all the not-seen-before commotion. Moulvibazar, in north-eastern Bangladesh, houses one of the last remaining wetland strongholds, a station to many migratory waterbirds and two globally threatened mammals, the fishing cat and the short-clawed otter. ''These traps are evil,'' I thought. It was 2019. 

Foldable fish traps are said to be imported from China. With many sophisticated and very lucratively low-cost Chinese products trail newer, deadlier environmental threats. These traps are no different. The news of their deadly impacts was brought to me by the museum curator of my department. ''Cobras, rat snakes, keelbacks, and even turtles are indiscriminately entrapped in these traps,'' the curator divulged when asked about the source of some newly collected specimens. Among these, I noticed olive keelback, painted keelback, buff-striped keelback, checkered keelback, softshell turtle, Bengal monitor, and two big specimens of the monocled cobra. The guy hails from Pirojpur in southern Bangladesh, ironically another fishing cat and otter hotspot. 

''The catch rate is different by a huge margin compared to artisanal traps,'' said Kayes, a wildlife photographer and fine arts undergrad from Rajshahi. Last May, He and I together ran an awareness campaign on smooth-coated otters in Rajshahi. ''Their existence there was unknown to scientists even a couple of years back,'' he was sharing highlights of interviewing the fisherfolk.

Locally known as China Duari, foldable fish traps can catch everything without judging – from frogs and snakes to birds and even mammals. These traps can be of varying lengths up to 100 feet but usually stays between 50–60 feet and cost between Tk8,000–14,000. Rajshahi and the surrounding Chalan Beel, the largest wetland in north-western Bangladesh, hold another source population of fishing cats. 

Being readily available as an over-the-counter product, foldable fish traps are often left behind. The discarded, non-biodegradable gear stays operational and keeps trapping and killing a multitude of species. Ghost fishing underwater works like active snares in the forest. I was startled to see a live cinnamon bittern, a seclusive heron-like bird, in this trap. A photo taken in Bangladesh was posted on Facebook and created a stir. But it died down soon and none raised a concern. 

Foldable fish traps pave new means for human-wildlife conflicts by festering the waters in an ever-increasing fashion. Wetland-based predators like fishing cats, otters, snakes, and freshwater turtles get easily enticed by the freebie food offered by these traps, readily use the best of the opportunity or, worse, destroy and enter the traps. Thus, a new front is set in motion in the perpetual war. 

Upon visiting two wetlands near the Padma Bridge Wildlife Sanctuary, and noticing evidence of fishing cat presence and the traps blanketing the whole wetland mosaic in that area, I made a quick search on Google. About a dozen news articles popped up that confirmed the grave concerns. 

The standard lowest measure of mesh size is 4.5 cm for any fishing gear to be legally operated in Bangladesh water. Anything finer than the mark is considered contraband under the law. Is it so that the delays in banning foldable fish traps are because the traps, being new additions, are not included in the existing law? Why is nobody from the conservation community raising their voice? Lack of depth in perspective and failure to gauge impending dangers are two of many curses to conservation strategies in Bangladesh. Damaging wetlands is easy, but redressing is difficult, if not impossible.