Hilsa back to Barishal markets after ban, prices sky-high

In less than 24 hours after the 22-day fishing ban ended, the prized fish hilsa returned to the markets of Barishal yesterday in limited quantities and at excessive prices.

Local markets, including the Port Road Fish Landing Centre, Bangla Bazar, and Rupatali Bazar, witnessed a surge in demand for hilsa on the first day after the ban was lifted. However, the sizes of the fish are smaller than usual.

Fish traders said smaller hilsa, weighing around 400-500 grams, are being sold at prices ranging from Tk12,000 to Tk14,000 per maund.

Jatka (premature hilsa), are being sold at Tk9,000 to Tk10,000 per maund, while larger, kilogram-sized fish are being sold at Tk64,000 per maund.

Mohammad Rubel, a trader at the Port Road Fish Landing Centre, said that the fish currently available were primarily caught from nearby rivers and that some were even older, frozen stock.

"Limited supply, compared to the high demand, is preventing prices from decreasing."

Harun, another seller, also confirmed the source of the fish at the market, saying most fishing boats are yet to venture out to sea and it would take four or five more days for the new season's catch to arrive.

Lokman Hossain, a fish seller from Bhola, alleged that some fishermen caught and stored hilsa during the ban and they are now bringing them to the market.

The 22-day ban on hilsa fishing and trading, which began on 13 October, concluded on Sunday.

Sabina Yasmin, a customer at Bangla Bazar, expressed disappointment at the high prices and the lack of larger-sized fish. "I expected a larger supply and lower prices after the ban ended."

Belal, a customer at Rupatali Bazar, said, "Most of the fish are small in size. The few large ones have red eyes, which clearly means they were caught during the ban, stored, and now released into the market after the ban was lifted."

"Since there is no fresh catch yet, I am buying other fish today. I will come back later to buy hilsa," he added.

Bimol Chandra Das, the Barisal district fisheries officer (hilsa), attributed the limited supply of large-sized hilsa to the recent breeding season.

"The smaller size of the fish indicates that a large number of hilsa must have spawned during the ban," he said.

He also added, "The intensive anti-fishing operations during the ban may have deterred fishermen from catching hilsa. However, once the larger fishing boats return from the sea with their catch, we can expect prices to decrease."