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Large hilsa are flooding the rivers of coastal Bhola, bringing relief to fishermen and raising hopes of exports after domestic demand is met.
Over the past week, fishermen have reported increased catches of medium and large hilsa from the Meghna, Tentulia, Kalabadar, Betua, Buragauranga and Ilisha rivers.
Fishermen say the increased supply has also brought down prices. A 500-gram hilsa that sold for around Tk600 a few days ago is now available for about Tk300, while the price of an 800-gram fish has fallen from Tk1,100 to around Tk700.
In Tulatuli, two fishermen caught around 36kg of large hilsa in a single night. In Monpura, hilsa weighing 2.5kg to 3.5kg are also being caught regularly. Two large hilsa caught in the Meghna were recently auctioned for Tk15,000.
Fish traders say the improved supply has revived trading at local landing stations, with large quantities being sent to Dhaka, Chattogram and other parts of the country.
Traders at Samraj Fish Port in Char Fasson said the growing availability of large hilsa has prompted them to prepare for exporting surplus fish to overseas markets after meeting domestic demand.
According to the district fisheries department, Bhola has set a seasonal hilsa production target of around 189,000-192,000 tonnes. The district has about 171,000 registered fishermen, alongside more than 200,000 unregistered fishermen.
Bhola District Fisheries Officer Muhammad Delwar Hossain said conservation efforts in the Meghna, Tentulia and other rivers were yielding positive results, with larger hilsa now being caught.
Officials expect the catch and size of hilsa to increase further if favourable weather and river conditions continue and fishermen comply with conservation restrictions.