Although the hilsa season has begun, the silver fish is still not being caught in Barishal's rivers in the numbers expected. With supply falling, hilsa prices have risen sharply, and many ordinary buyers are turning to other fish instead.

A visit to the Port Road wholesale fish landing centre in Barishal city on the morning of 19 July found that hilsa arrivals had been far below normal for several days. Traders said that at the start of the season around a thousand maunds of hilsa should arrive each day, but only 100-150 maunds are coming in, and the limited supply has hit prices directly.

In the wholesale market, hilsa weighing 1 kg sell at Tk 2,800-3,000 a kg. Fish of 700-900 grams cost Tk 2,500-2,800 a kg. Hilsa of 500 grams sell for about Tk 1,800, and those of 400 grams for Tk 1,500-1,600. Retail prices are higher still.

Aratdars (commission agents) say hilsa supply is normally much higher at this time of year, but there is a shortage of fish in local rivers. Expected supplies are not arriving, so prices cannot be held down even though demand remains.

Nasir Uddin, owner of Lia Arat at the Port Road hilsa market, said there is very little hilsa in the rivers. In the past few days no more than 60 to 100 maunds have reached the market, whereas several hundred maunds used to be normal.

Md Robin, manager of Messrs Dulal Fish, said that a few years ago around 2,000 maunds of hilsa were traded daily at the Port Road arats in peak season. The picture has now changed completely: no more than 100 maunds are arriving, and with supply short of demand, prices have risen.

Md Zahir Sikder, president of the Mohanagar fish landing centre owners' association, told Jagonews that 1,000 to 1,200 maunds of hilsa used to arrive daily at 170 arats. Now it has fallen to just 100 to 150 maunds. Where daily trade once exceeded Tk 1 crore, it is now limited to Tk 30-40 lakh.

Buyers are angry about prices. One buyer, Saiful, said hilsa that could once be bought for Tk 1,400-1,600 now costs Tk 2,500-2,800. He alleged that some traders are keeping prices unreasonably high by taking advantage of the short supply.

Another buyer, Mamun, said he came to the wholesale market hoping to buy fish a little cheaper than at retail, but prices were almost the same. In the end, four hilsa of 700-800 grams each cost him about Tk 3,500.

A third buyer, Sohel, said he was forced to buy pangas because hilsa was out of reach. A 500-gram hilsa that used to cost Tk 800-900 now costs Tk 1,800-2,000. Other fish have also become dearer, and pangas now costs about Tk 280 a kg.

Fishermen are going through hard times. Aslam, a fisherman on the Kirtankhola river, said no hilsa of any size are being found in the river and he has to borrow to run his household. Bad weather is also making it hard to cast nets properly.

Sagir, another Kirtankhola fisherman, said that even though they go out on the river after respecting the government ban, they are not finding hilsa. If this continues, he will have no option but to sell his nets to repay loans.

Barishal District Fisheries Officer Dr Hadiuzzaman told Jagonews that although the hilsa season begins in June, the real peak season usually starts in July. With enough rain, more hilsa will come into the rivers from the sea, and he is hopeful that prices will then fall.

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