Hilsa returns to Bhola rivers, fishermen see hope after crisis
Fishermen said the improved catch would help them repay debts and recover from losses incurred during the prolonged period of poor fishing.
Fishermen in Bhola district become hopeful as they are seeing a welcome surge in hilsa catches in the rivers after a prolonged period of poor fishing.
Fishermen said they are now catching significant quantities of hilsa in the Meghna, Tetulia, Ilisha, Kalabadar and Buragouranga rivers and other waterways surrounding Bhola. Both small and large hilsa are being caught, they said.
The improved catch has brought a festive mood to fishing villages as well as renewed activity at fish landing stations and among traders involved in the hilsa business.
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A BSS correspondent visiting several fish landing stations found fishermen, traders, wholesalers and buyers busy handling, buying and selling hilsa.
At the Shibpur fish landing station on the Meghna, as well as landing stations in Ilisha, Tulatuli and several areas along the Tetulia River in Veduria, fishermen expressed satisfaction over the recent improvement in catches.
Fishermen Malek Majhi, Sharif, Mainuddin, Kalam and Chhidu Majhi said they had been catching large quantities of hilsa since yesterday (14 August) night.
"We were extremely worried because we could not catch enough hilsa," said Md Badsha Mia, president of the Ilisha Fisheries Traders Association in Bhola Sadar.
He said wholesalers in the area had taken advance payments amounting to lakhs of taka from Dhaka–based buyers against commitments to supply hilsa. Failure to meet those commitments had put traders under considerable pressure.
"Now that hilsa are arriving in large numbers, everyone is relieved," he said.
Reports of increased hilsa trading have also come from Samraj Fisheries Port in Char Fasson and the Haji Hat, Ramnewaz, Pacha Koralia and Kalatali fish landing stations in Monpura.
Despite the sudden increase in supply, however, prices have yet to fall significantly.
Amir Howladar, a leader of the Monpura Fish Traders Association, said one–kilogram hilsa is currently being sold for around Taka 2,700, while 800–gram fish are priced at around Taka 1,400 and 500–gram hilsa around Taka 700.
Fish traders said prices are also fluctuating at wholesale markets in Bhola and neighboring districts. Fisheries officials and traders, however, expect prices to become more affordable for consumers within the next two to four days if the strong supply continues.
According to the Bhola Fisheries Department, the hilsa production target for the district this season has been set at between 189,000 and 192,000 metric tonnes.
The department said the district achieved a satisfactory level of hilsa production in the previous fiscal year and has taken steps to further increase production this year.
Bhola District Fisheries Officer Md Delwar Hossain told BSS that the current hilsa season is underway and that the district is likely to achieve its production target if the present level of catches continues in the rivers and the sea.
According to data from the district fisheries office, Bhola has 171,000 government–registered fishermen. Including unregistered and private fishermen, the total number of fishermen in the district is estimated to exceed 200,000.
The increase in hilsa catches has therefore brought not only fresh supplies of the prized fish to local markets but also renewed optimism among thousands of fishing families who depend on the seasonal catch for their livelihoods.
