A hilsa weighing one kilogram 820 grams has sold for Tk 6,000 in Mirzaganj, Patuakhali. The fish was caught in the net of local fisherman Nirob Howlader in the Payra river on the morning of Sunday 17 August, and he then took it to the fish wholesale market at Subidkhali Bazar in the upazila.

Trader Horen Babu at the market said a trader named Zakir Hossain bought the fish at auction for Tk 6,000. A curious crowd gathered at the market, and he said such big hilsa are not usually found there.

Zakir Hossain said hilsa this big are rarely found now, so he bought it at auction. He could not yet say how much profit he would make selling it.

Fisherman Nirob Howlader said he had never caught such a big hilsa before. He was very pleased to have got it and to have sold it at a good price.

Md Mahfuzur Rahman, senior fisheries officer of Mirzaganj upazila, said hilsa of around one and a half kilograms have been caught recently. A price of Tk 6,000 for a 1kg 820g hilsa is somewhat high, he said. Because fishing rules and ban periods are being followed, the chance of catching big hilsa is increasing.

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