Rivers in Barishal remain bereft of hilsa

Experts have said that the rivers in Barishal remain empty of Hilsa due to intense heat and low water levels during the peak season.

During this season of the year, the fishing grounds of the southern rivers are usually full of hilsa swimming upstream from the sea.

The fish market in the city’s Port Road is full of different domestic varieties of fish as the hilsa supply remains slow.

Local sources said the supply of hilsa during this time of the year in the city’s fish markets should be plentiful.

Barishal District Fisheries Department Officer (Hilsa) Dr Bimal Chandra Das said fishes will come to the river grounds soon as the water level on the rivers are on the rise.

Local fishermen said the river fishing grounds should be full of fish during this time of the year but the 65 days’ ban on fishing in the sea and scanty rainfall has left the rivers bereft of hilsa.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, chairman of Barguna Trawler and Fishery Association, said it is difficult to understand the weather and the movement of Hilsa silver fish.

“For the past four-five years, due to the uncertain weather pattern, many of the sea fishers had to return from the sea empty-handed and the river fishing grounds remain empty during fishing season,” he said.

Patharghata Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Jayanta Kumar Apu said the production of hilsa has increased recently due to the fishing ban during the breeding season.

“The amount of hilsa in the rivers will increase soon,” he said.

Wholesaler and fish storage owner Ilias Hossain said they expected thousands of maunds of hilsa supply regularly during this season as there is no ban on fishing in the rivers at the moment.

“We are not receiving the expected amount of supply and the price is high due to demand,” he said.

He added that the supply will rise soon as the 65 days ban on fishing in the sea has finally lifted last week.

Another storage owner Md Nasiruddin saidhilsa can be found in both rivers and the sea throughout the year but the amount is low.

The peak hilsa fishing season is from July to October as the southern rivers are full of these fish during this time.

“During this time of the year, the storages receive thousands of maunds of hilsa fish supply per day. But this year seems to be an exception,” he said.

He added that a lack of rain and low water levels of the rivers also factor in the lack of hilsa during peak fishing season.

On Friday fishers caught only 11 maunds of hilsa at the outfall near Charmontaz of Bhola and bought to the markets of Barishal.

The prices were quite high due to the low supply. Small-sized hilsa (650-900 gram) was sold at Tk 48,000 per maund, medium-sized hilsa (1kg) sold for Tk 60,000 per maund and large-sized hilsa (1.5 kg) sold for Tk 90,000 per maund.

Buyer Mahimul Hasan Emdad said theprices of hilsa were higher than what usually is during this season.

“The price of hilsa is beyond the affordability of ordinary people right now. Hilsa has become a luxury nowadays,” he said.

Mir Rashedul Islam, Manager of Patharghata Fish Offloading and Wholesale Centre, said 1,152.56 tonnes of hilsa and 1,581.36 tonnes of various marine fish were sold FY 2020-21 and earned are venue of Tk 99,96,656.

In FY 2021-22, 2,475.93 tonnes of hilsa and 2,324.21tonnes of various marine fish were sold and earned a revenue of Tk1,92,92,329.

Sheikh Ripon, organising secretary of Barishal District Fish Storage Owners Association, said the supply of hilsa will increase within the week and the prices will decrease when the fishers that went fishing in the sea return with their trawlers.

“The three Bengali months of Ashar, Srabon, and Vadro are considered hilsa fishing season as schools of them swim upstream from the sea,” he said.

Dr Bimal Chandra Das said, “Fishes are not coming to the rivers because of the hot weather, lack of rain and the low water levels.”

He added that the fishes currently at the outfall will swim inland soon and expects the supply in the markets to increase.