46 Maunds of Hilsa Caught in One Trawler in Kuakata Sea, Auctioned for Tk 48.50 Lakh

PNN News Desk, Patuakhali

Around 46 maunds of hilsa were caught at once in the fishing net of a trawler in the Bay of Bengal near Kuakata in Patuakhali. The huge quantity of fish was later sold at auction at Mahipur Fish Port for Tk 48.50 lakh.

The hilsa were sold through an auction at Monowara Fish Arat at Mahipur Fish Port between Friday (August 7) afternoon and evening. The catch of such a large quantity of hilsa in a single trawler after a long time has brought relief among fishermen and fish traders.

According to sources, fisherman Alamgir, the boatman of the trawler named FB Junaid, went fishing in the deep sea near the last buoy of Payra Seaport on Thursday (August 6). After casting the net only once, around 2,200 hilsa were caught in the trawler's net. The trawler returned to Mahipur Fish Port with the fish around noon on Friday.

According to arat sources, 24 maunds of the hilsa weighed one kilogram or more. These fish were sold at Tk 115,000 per maund, bringing in a total of Tk 27.60 lakh. In addition, 22 maunds of hilsa weighing between 800 and 900 grams were sold at Tk 95,000 per maund, fetching Tk 20.90 lakh.

Together, the two categories of fish amounted to 46 maunds of hilsa, which were sold for a total of Tk 48.50 lakh.

Alamgir, the boatman of the trawler, said they had received such a large consignment of hilsa at once after nearly five years. He said they had been suffering losses for a long time, and the substantial catch this time had brought them considerable happiness.

Sagor Akon, manager of Monowara Fish, said such a large quantity of hilsa had arrived at Mahipur Port at once after a long time. As hilsa prices are currently relatively high in the market, the fishermen received good prices for their catch. He added that such a large quantity of hilsa of this size is usually not caught at once.

Meanwhile, although the large quantity of hilsa caught by a single trawler in one day is being viewed as encouraging, researchers said it should not be considered conclusive evidence of an overall abundance of hilsa in the sea.

Md. Bakhtiar Rahman, a research assistant of the Sustho Sagar (Healthy Sea) project, implemented jointly by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WorldFish with funding from the Blue Action Fund, said most fishing boats have not been catching the expected amount of hilsa in recent times. In such a situation, catching 46 maunds of hilsa in a single trawler is certainly good news and a relief for fishermen.

However, he said there is no scope to consider a good catch on a single day as an indicator of overall hilsa abundance. According to him, understanding the actual condition of hilsa requires continuous monitoring and assessment based on scientific data.

He further said that to sustain this positive trend in hilsa production, it is necessary to increase awareness among fishermen, refrain from fishing during the breeding season, and regularly implement conservation measures.

Kalapara Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said there had been a shortage of hilsa in the sea just a few days ago. However, fishermen are currently catching relatively good quantities of hilsa. He said if rainfall continues, there is a possibility of getting even more hilsa in the coming days.

The large catch of hilsa has renewed hope among fishermen, arat owners and traders. Those concerned hope that if the flow of hilsa in the sea continues, fishermen will be able to recover some of their long-standing losses, while the continued supply could also have a positive impact on the hilsa market.