More than 300 poor families in Sharsha upazila of Jashore are struggling to make ends meet by collecting and selling snails from natural water bodies, while indiscriminate harvesting is raising concerns over aquatic biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
With limited employment opportunities in rural areas, men, women and even children are engaging in snail collection, earning just Tk 7 per kilogram. Despite spending hours collecting snails, their earnings are barely enough to cover their families’ daily expenses amid rising commodity prices.
A visit to the area found people collecting snails from morning until noon in canals, wetlands and other water bodies across several unions, including Dihi, Lakshmanpur, Bahadurpur, Sharsha Sadar and Nizampur. Some collect snails on foot, while others use small boats to reach different water bodies.
Palash Bala, senior fisheries officer of Sharsha upazila, said the government had a project for conserving snails and mussels, but it was not applicable to the region.
He said snails played an important role in the natural purification of water bodies by helping remove pollutants and maintaining an environment suitable for aquatic life.
Excessive collection or destruction of snails could have serious adverse effects on the environment and biodiversity, he warned.
Collectors said a person could gather 30 to 50 kilograms of snails a day. At Tk 7 per kilogram, however, the earnings remain inadequate to support a family. With few opportunities for agricultural labour or other work, many have been forced to depend on snail collection for their livelihoods.
Mohan Mondal, Ujjal, Namita Rani, Shimu Dasi, Barsha Rani and Rafiqul Islam from Tebaria fishing village in Dihi Union, along with Sagar Mondal, Nikhil Tarafdar, Brishti Biswas, Baishakhi Mondal and Latika Rani from Potapara in Nizampur Union, said they spend the early morning hours travelling between water bodies to collect snails. They said the lack of alternative employment had left them with little choice but to continue the work. The money earned from selling snails barely enables them to provide food for their families, they added.
Meanwhile, snail traders said two separate groups operating in northern and southern Sharsha purchase around 200 maunds of snails daily on average from collectors in several unions. The purchase price is Tk 7 per kilogram.
The fisheries official said initiatives were being taken to discourage people from collecting and selling snails and to raise public awareness about the ecological consequences of indiscriminate harvesting.
Sohel, Ali, Mizan, Sukanta and Ganesh Mondal, traders from Swarupdaha in Sharsha, said the collected snails are transported to traders in Chechuri-Kapalia in Khulna. The snails are then processed by machines and used as feed for shrimp and pangas fish.
The traders also said fewer families were involved in snail collection this year than in the previous year due to lower water levels in canals, wetlands and other water bodies, as well as allergy-related problems associated with contact with the water.
The situation in Sharsha highlights the conflict between the livelihood needs of impoverished families and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
Those concerned said alternative employment opportunities needed to be created for the collectors while ensuring the sustainable management of natural aquatic resources.