For the first time in decades, fishermen along Assam’s Barak river are returning home with empty nets. The floods in June, which usually bring an abundance of fish, have instead left the river strangely barren.
In Madarpur village of Cachar district, Abdul Kalam, a fisherman for 37 years, says he has barely caught anything in the past two months. “Usually floods mean more fish, but this time it feels like the river is dead,” he said. His daily earnings, which once reached up to ₹500 on a good day, have now dropped to less than ₹20.
The crisis is affecting hundreds of families in Madarpur and neighbouring villages like Niz Haritikar. Once teeming with Hilsa, Rohu, Catla and Ritha, the river now yields only baby Hilsa, leaving many without a source of income.
Veteran fisherman Lilaram Das, 77, said he hasn’t seen such scarcity in 50 years. “I’ve travelled kilometres upstream and downstream, but there’s nothing,” he said. Many have abandoned their boats to work as labourers at construction sites, earning ₹500 a day to feed their families sometimes even buying fish from the market.
Experts believe the floods may have carried heavy silt into the river, disturbing fish habitats. Riverbank erosion and widening have also made it harder to catch fish. A study by the North-East Affected Areas Development Society (NEADS) warns that the river’s ecosystem has been severely degraded over the years due to changes in its natural flow, climate-driven weather extremes, and habitat loss.
Climate change is adding to the crisis. According to researchers, rising water temperatures are forcing many fish species to migrate to cooler or deeper waters, leaving local fishermen without their traditional catch.
Impact
The sudden disappearance of fish in the Barak river has devastated local fishing communities who depend entirely on the river for their livelihood. It has forced a shift from skilled fishing to unskilled daily labour, eroding traditional knowledge and culture. The crisis also threatens local food security, as river fish once a cheap and abundant protein source have become scarce and expensive. Experts warn that without urgent action to restore the river’s ecosystem, such losses could become permanent.