A fishing trawler from Hatiya in Noakhali has caught about 60 maunds of hilsa in the Bay of Bengal. After it returned to Chairman Ghat on Thursday morning (24 September), the fish were auctioned in three rounds at the Saiful fish wholesale depot until midday and sold for nearly Tk 20 lakh.

Hatiya fisherman Abdur Rahim Majhi had gone to sea with a crew of 18. They came back on Thursday morning after six days at sea, and traders bid against each other for the catch.

The size of the haul lifted spirits among fishers, wholesalers and traders. Local fishers said that if hilsa stays this plentiful at sea, their incomes will rise and the local fish market will benefit.

Noakhali district fisheries officer Harun-or-Rashid said fishers are getting good catches because hilsa is plentiful at sea, but stressed that protecting jatka (juvenile hilsa) and staying off the water during fishing bans are needed to raise hilsa production and breeding.

The report is by Barta24.com's Noakhali district correspondent.

Source: Barta24