Fishermen have returned to the Padma and Meghna after the ban. Despite waiting hours on the river, they are not seeing the hilsa they hoped for. Instead, big pangas are turning up in their nets, and they are happy to sell them.

At 11am on 5 November several small and large trawlers arrived at the Chandpur Boro Station fish ghat from the Padma and Meghna and the southern region. Most carried large pangas. Even without hilsa, the pangas in their nets is helping the fishermen recover some of their losses.

After a long pause, work has returned for traders and labourers at Boro Station fish ghat, one of the country's main fish wholesale markets. Alongside hilsa, big pangas is laid out in front of every wholesale shop.

Fisherman Sachib Hossain said hilsa was very scarce in the Padma and Meghna at Chandpur. Besides hilsa gulti nets, there are separate nets for pangas, and large pangas are coming up in them. "From dawn until now we have caught four big pangas and brought them to Boro Station fish ghat to sell. This is pangas season, which is why every fisherman is catching pangas," he said.

Buyer Nur Mohammad said he came to Chandpur fish ghat to buy hilsa after hearing it was on sale, but found big pangas in front of every wholesaler. River pangas is very tasty, he said, and he would try to buy a big one along with hilsa.

Chandpur fish ghat wholesaler Nabir Hossain said the pangas had grown larger because fishing was banned for 22 days. Big pangas will now be available at the ghat every day. Large pangas currently sells for Tk 700-750 a kg and slightly smaller fish for Tk 600. Out of season, he said, they had sold such pangas for Tk 1,000 to 1,100.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.