Sundarbans reopens after three-month conservation closure

After three months without tourists, fishermen or other forest-dependent workers, the Sundarbans reopened this morning. Four large tourist vessels entered the mangrove forest, carrying more than 300 visitors, while licensed fishermen prepared to resume fishing and crab collection.

The annual closure ran from June 1 through Aug. 31. It suspended tourism and fishing in the forest’s rivers and canals during the breeding season and helped keep the interior largely free of human activity.

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Four large vessels left for the Sundarbans this morning. As the weather is somewhat adverse, they have been advised to follow certain safety precautions.

Tourists travelled to Karamjal through Mongla in the eastern Sundarbans. In the west, visitors headed to Kalabogi in the Khulna Range and Kolagachia in the Satkhira Range. Two of the vessels could each carry 75 passengers.

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We are dividing the vessels among three designated spots to manage tourist pressure.

Forest officials advised the boats to take safety precautions because of unfavorable weather. The department is issuing Boat Licence Certificates for 6,000 boats operating in the Khulna and Satkhira ranges this year.

The reopening also restored an important source of income for nearby communities. Fishermen and crab collectors could not work in the forest during the closure. Some repaired their boats and nets, while others borrowed money for household expenses. Musa Sardar, a fisherman from Khulna’s Paikgacha area who has worked in the Sundarbans for more than 25 years, said fish often become more plentiful after the closure because they accumulate in the canals. He and two companions planned to leave for the forest after spending Tk 4,500 repairing and preparing their boat.

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We usually get more fish immediately after the ban is lifted because fishing remains suspended in the canals during the closure, allowing fish to accumulate.