Another fisherman at Kuakata in Patuakhali has caught a hilsa weighing 1 kg 880 grams in his net. The fish sold for Tk 5,875.

Babul Majhi, a fisherman from Patharghata in Barguna, sold the fish at an open auction at Kuakata Mayor Bazar on the afternoon of 18 August.

Babul Majhi said the fish was caught in his net that morning in the last buoy area of Gangamati, near Kuakata. He then brought it to Kuakata Mayor Bazar, where it was put up for auction through Rasel Fish. It was bought by fish trader Rafiq Patwari of Sanjida Fish at a rate of Tk 1 lakh 25 thousand per maund (given as Tk 3,135 a kg).

Rafiq Patwari said: "The fisherman caught the fish using stakes in the coastal area at the end of the last buoy of Payra port in the Bay of Bengal, and then brought it to our market to sell."

He added: "The fish caught by these coastal fishermen in particular are not from the deep sea, so they taste better. That is why the price is a little higher too. Several big fish like this have come in over the last few days and sold at quite good prices at the market."

Kalapara upazila senior fisheries officer Apu Saha said: "Big hilsa bring good news for fishermen. Along with deep-sea fishermen, coastal fishermen are now also getting big hilsa. The amount of hilsa is increasing day by day, and I hope it will increase further in the coming days. Then the price will come down."

Earlier, on 14 August, a fisherman named Sunu Gazi caught a hilsa weighing 1 kg 800 grams in the same area and sold it for Tk 5,625. On 17 August, a fisherman named Nasir Majhi caught a hilsa weighing 1 kg 700 grams in the Gangamati area.

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