About 70 per cent of fishermen surveyed said they have lost their employment because of 65-day ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal.

About 50 per cent fishermen can't afford food for three times a day due to lack of incomes and failure to include their names in the government aid list, said the study conducted by COAST Trust.

It recommended an alternative employment during such restrictions imposed by the authorities concerned.

COAST Trust prepared the research report based on information it received from 264 fishermen families in the coastal districts of Cox's Bazar, Lakshmipur, Bhola, Patuakhali, Khulna and Bagerhat.

Some 42.4 per cent of the fishermen families said they had an average monthly income of Tk 6,000-10,000 but 60.8per cent of them said they had no income after the ban was imposed.

As a result, the number of the families who used to eat three meals a day during normal times now dropped to 51 per cent from about 95.8 per cent.

The government, however, is providing 43kg of rice to help the families of the fishermen during the ban, but 34.2 per cent of them have not yet got any assistance.

The study said40 per cent of the fishermen claimed that even after fulfilling all the conditions set by the authority, their names had not been included in the government list for support.

Some, 67.5 per cent of the fishermen receiving rice as assistance said rice was not enough to support their families as there was no cash money to meet other household expenses while 96.1 per cent of the fishermen did not receive any assistance under any other social safety net programmes.

So, 79.9 per cent of the fishermen have taken loan to meet their expenses while 45.7 per cent have borrowed from moneylenders at high interest.

The study also found that violence against women in fishermen families increased during the ban and 51.8 per cent of households have experienced domestic violence.

It also showed that 95.4 per cent of the fishermen have no alternative source of income excepting fishing in the sea.

The study recommended ensuring alternative income source for fishermen during the ban, providing them with cash assistance instead of rice, ensuring easy access to loans, and making an accurate list of fishermen.