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A giant 90kg baghair (giant river catfish) caught in the Brahmaputra River in Kurigram’s Chilmari upazila was sold for Tk1.35 lakh after being purchased by a local fish trader for Tk1.10 lakh.
The fish was caught in the net of fisherman Narendra Nath in the Putimari area of Raniganj union on Friday, October 16. Saju Mia, a fish trader at Thanahat Bazar, later bought it.
The fish was cut up and sold at Tk1,500 per kilogram in the Pump Mor area of Chilmari that evening, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers.
Saju Mia said falling water levels in the Brahmaputra have led to increased catches of large fish, including baghair and pangas, and that demand for them remains strong.
Another fish trader, Phul Mia, said large buyers, industrialists, bureaucrats and political figures often place advance orders for such fish. Traders arrange deliveries according to customer demand.
Chilmari Upazila Fisheries Officer (additional charge) Md Emdadul Haque said he had heard about the large baghair catch. He called for joint efforts by the fisheries department and the public to protect the breeding and reproduction of native large fish in the Brahmaputra.