Rare Hilsa Haul Ignites Hope for Bay of Bengal Fishermen
A single fishing trawler recently caught a large amount of hilsa in the Bay of Bengal. This rare catch weighed 46 maunds, bringing great joy to local fishermen. The hilsa was sold for about Tk 4.85 million at Mahipur Fishery Port. This happened after a long time of poor catches.
Alamgir Majhi owns the fishing trawler FB Junaid. He said they caught the 46 maunds of hilsa on Thursday. The catch was near the last buoy of Payra Sea Port. The trawler, full of hilsa, reached Mahipur Fishery Port on Friday afternoon.
The fish were sold quickly through an auction. This took place at Manowara Fish, a wholesale outlet. Mr. Majhi said he had not seen such a large catch in five years. He hopes this big catch will help cover past losses.
Sagir Akon is the manager of Manowara Fish. He said 24 maunds of the hilsa weighed 1 kilogram or more each. These large fish were bought for Tk 115,000 per maund. This equals Tk 2,875 per kilogram.
The other 22 maunds of hilsa weighed between 800 and 900 grams. These were bought for Tk 95,000 per maund, or Tk 2,375 per kilogram. Mr. Akon noted that hilsa prices are much higher this year. Fishermen received a good price for their hard work.
Apu Saha is a senior fisheries officer in Kalapara upazila. He mentioned that hilsa has been scarce in the sea. However, fishermen are still catching varying amounts. Mr. Saha believes that more rainfall could lead to even larger catches.
Mohammad Bakhtiar Rahman is a research assistant for the Healthy Ocean project. He called the large catch encouraging news for fishermen. He said it gives hope to those who work tirelessly at sea. However, he warned against seeing one big catch as a sign of overall abundance.
Mr. Rahman stressed that careful monitoring and scientific data are needed. This will help understand the true hilsa situation. He also asked fishermen to be more aware. They should avoid fishing during the breeding season. This will help maintain healthy hilsa populations in the future.
