Fishermen are having good catches of hilsa this season as the landings were abundant off the coast of Patuakhali and Barguna districts. Fish landing stations at Mohipur and Alipur in Patuakhali and Pathorghata in Barguna district are now buzzing with activities of fishermen and traders as trawlers loaded with hilsa are returning from the Bay.
The season of hilsa is May to October when the catching of the fish is abundant. Fisheries officials informed that there is ban on netting the popular fish from November 1 to April 30. Over 500 fishing trawlers from coastal districts Patuakhali and Barguna sailed for deep sea to catch hilsa after the end of the ban period to hilsa catching on May 1. But this season saw very poor catches till mid-July.
The situation changed in the second half of this month and during the last ten days over 400 tonnes of hilas came from the Bay in an average daily, said fishing trawler owners and fish traders in Mohipur and Pathorghata. The amount of catches for two and a half months since beginning of the season was only 20-50 tonnes daily, they added.
Fazlu Gazi, president of Fish Traders Association in Mohipur, said that wholesalers, fishermen and labourers are passing very busy time as plenty of hilsa is being netted. Eight to 10 trawlers loaded with hilsa from the Bay are coming to Pathorghata daily since July 16.
The availability of hilsa decreases its price in the local market. Its price in wholesale markets in Patuakhali now range between Tk 350 to 400 per kg depending on size. When visited local fish market on Sunday, this correspondent saw one maund (40 kgs) hilsa fish that over 1 kg weight per hilsa sold at Tk 11,000 to 12,000 per maund.
