Following lifting of ban, fishermen are now catching increasing number of Hilsas everyday. This has pushed down the price of the delicious fish across the country. It has been seen visiting some of the city’s kitchen markets that a big portion of the netted Hilsas are mother fishes carrying eggs which has raised question among many that if the fishes’ breeding period is being calculated accurately.
Hilsa traders said such mother fishes would release their eggs within the next 10 to 15 days. While visiting city’s two main kitchen markets at Karwan Bazar and Jatrabari, it was found that there were plenty of golden fishes on the traders’ buckets. The prices of different sizes of Hilsa were also very low. This correspondent found selling of a one-kilogram size fish at less than Tk 1000.
Enamul Haque, a consumer told this correspondent at the city’s Malibagh kitchen market that he bought eight Hilsa fishes, each weighing more than one-kilogram, only at Tk 8,800. Traders said that the prices of mother Hilsa is comparatively low, which is also a cause of the fall in price of the fish. According to sources, Hilsa fishing is banned by the government for 22 days from the second quarter from Ashwin to first quarter of Kartik, considering it pick breeding period of the fish.
But it was found that before and after this tenure, plenty of mother Hilsa is found in the fishermen’s net in many Hilsa-prone rivers, or the sea. The Bangla month Ashwin’s full moon is the pick time for breeding by mother Hilsa. During this period, mother Hilsas come to river water from sea and for that the government impose ban on Hilsa catching during that time.
Sarwar Hossain, professor of Bangabandhu Agriculture University told that the breeding period of Hilsa might change due to some reasons. So, the government could review the time-frame of ban period so that all the mother Hilsha could breed their eggs. State minister for Fisheries and Livestock Asharaf Ali Khan Khasru, however, told media that due to several initiatives taken by the government, plenty of Hilsa fish are now available in the kitchen market and the price is also under the purchase level of general people.
Replying to a question, he said it is very simple to found mother Hilsa before or after the ban period because in the big sea or rivers such types of Hilsa could be found, and it’s not abnormal.
