Enough hilsa in rivers by late Aug: Researcher

Researchers say there will be enough hilsa in the rivers by the last week of this month as the fish started migrating towards the river from the Bay of Bengal.

Dr Anisur Rahaman, a leading hilsa researcher and Chief of Hilsa Research Team of Fish Research Institute, Chandpur, said the fish could be found in the Meghna River in Chandpur and lower Padma River by next week.

The migration was a little delayed this year, he said.

Hilsa, the national fish of Bangladesh known for its exquisite taste, is often described as the ‘King of Fishes’.

It is part of the Bengali culture and traditional cuisine. The fish usually lives in the deep sea. After the monsoon starts, the fish moves to the funnel-shaped Bay of Bengal and adjoining rivers to lay eggs.

The migration of hilsa is a unique natural feature of riverine Bangladesh.

According to the Department of Fisheries, about 5.5 lakh tonnes of hilsa were caught in Bangladesh last year. The contribution of hilsa to Bangladesh’s economy is Tk 30,000 crore, about one per cent of the national economy.

According to WorldFish, about 85 per cent of the total hilsa catch in the world is from Bangladesh.

Masuda Ara Momi, District Fisheries Officer of Hilsa wing of the Department of Fisheries, said hilsa was not coming to the river even after the start of the season, so many people were disappointed, but now we are getting hints from the field level that hilsa will come to the inland water in this August.

The national fish was once found in almost all the rivers of the country. But due to pollution, destruction of sanctuaries, and other reasons, the availability of hilsa has declined.

Production is gradually increasing due to various initiatives of the government, especially the ban on ‘Jatka’ (small-sized hilsa) and the fishing ban during the breeding season.

Although hilsa production has almost doubled in the last ten years, there is still less hilsa in the riverine areas than in the marine catch. About 55 per cent of the hilsa is extracted from the sea and about 45 per cent from the rivers.

In addition, some hilsa is available throughout the year in the estuary, although the main season for hilsa is from July to October. Hilsa production increased over the years, helped by the government’s strict ban on catching hilsa with eggs and Jatka. There’s a good demand for this fish among the Bangladeshi diaspora spread across the world.

There are six hilsa sanctuaries in the Bay of Bengal and the estuarine region of the Meghna, covering an area of at least 450 square kilometres. In the last two years, hilsa has been caught in fishermen’s nets in at least 20 rivers in the country and even in the haor areas.

“Basically, after August, when the water from the upstream reaches the Bay of Bengal, the hilsa will continue to rise upwards against the current,” said chief Hilsa researcher Dr Anis.

“Enough hilsa is being caught in the sea now. The presence of hilsa swarms is also being observed in the estuary, and they will move into the rivers in the next full moon.”