A ban on catching and selling hilsa has been imposed from midnight on Saturday (12 October) to ensure safe breeding, so at the last minute hilsa prices have fallen in the capital's markets and buyers have crowded in. Hilsa weighing 150 to 200 grams are selling for Tk 350 to Tk 450.

This was the picture at the fish arot in Jatrabari in the capital after dark on Saturday.

As the main breeding season, catching and selling hilsa will be banned for 22 days this year, from 13 October (after 12 midnight on Saturday) to 3 November. During this time, catching, marketing, transporting, buying, selling, exchanging and stockpiling hilsa will also be banned nationwide.

At about 7.30pm on Saturday, the Jatrabari fish arot was crowded with hilsa buyers. Buyers and sellers said prices had come down somewhat from before.

Talking to sellers and going around the market, hilsa over one kg (1 kg 100 to 200 grams) were selling for Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,800 a kg. Hilsa of about one kg were selling for Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,600; earlier these cost more than Tk 2,000 a kg.

Hilsa of 800 grams cost Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,200 a kg. Hilsa at four to a kg (250 grams each) were selling for Tk 500 to Tk 700, and hilsa of 150 to 200 grams each for Tk 350 to Tk 450 a kg.

At the arot, traders were calling out and auctions were under way. People involved said there were far more buyers than on other days.

Sellers said trading at the arot usually centres on the early morning and is over by 9am or 10am. But since hilsa catching and selling stops from tonight, the last hilsa sales were taking place after dark. They said hilsa prices after dark were lower even than in the morning.

Al Hasan came from Dakshinpara in Matuail to buy hilsa. He said he had hardly bought any hilsa this year because prices were so high. "Hilsa sales stop from tomorrow, so I came to see if I could get some a bit cheaper at the last minute. It is true prices have come down compared with other times, but not by much. I am bargaining, and if the price is right I will buy," he said.

Seller Abdur Rahim said: "From tomorrow hilsa won't be sold any more, so everyone is selling whatever they have. Prices have dropped a lot. Even in the morning prices were higher."

He also said very little hilsa had come in this year. Where most of the market used to be full of hilsa, only a few stalls had sold hilsa, so prices had not come down.

Under the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act, 1950, a ban on hilsa fishing is imposed for a set period every year during the main breeding season.

Under the Protection and Conservation of Fish Rules, 1985, breaking the ban carries rigorous imprisonment of at least one year and up to two years, or a fine of up to Tk 5,000, or both. The punishment doubles for a second offence.

The fisheries department and local administrations have taken various steps to enforce the ban. During the ban, drives will be run at fish landing ghats, fish arots and markets across the country. Monitoring will run nationwide through teams formed jointly by the administration, police, RAB, river police, navy, air force, Coast Guard and all other agencies involved.

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