Fishermen are allowed to catch hilsa again now that the ban is over, but the hilsa people hoped for are not showing up in Patuakhali's markets. Even after going out on the rivers, fishermen cannot land the catches they expected, and they are disappointed.

At Patuakhali Sadar fish market, New Market, Puran Bazar, Natun Bazar and the Poyla Par area, the supply of hilsa was very low. The little hilsa available was beyond most buyers' reach. Hilsa of a size that comes three to a kilogram were selling at Tk 1,000 a kg, four to a kg at Tk 700, five to a kg at Tk 600, and small jatka at Tk 500 a kg.

Day labourer Sobhan Mia said: "I came to the market thinking the ban was over and hoping there would be more fish. But there is very little fish, and the price is very high. This is beyond the reach of people like us. So today I'm going home with shrimp."

New Market fish seller Harun said prices have gone up because there is no supply. Although buyers want fish, the market is not settling because there is not enough of it. Besides, the hilsa on the market still have roe in their bellies.

Md Jasim, a fisherman from Madarbunia union, said: "I sat at home for 22 days without getting government help. Now even when I go out on the river I'm not getting the fish I expected."

Forkan Mia, a fisherman on the banks of the Payra river, said the movement of fish in the river had increased during the breeding season, but now hardly anything is caught in the nets. Perhaps because of changes in the water and weather, the fish are still staying in the deep sea, he said.

District Fisheries Officer Md Kamrul Islam said VGF rice had been distributed to 69,043 fishermen before the ban. "The government gave enough support. Fishermen have gone out on the rivers from today. I hope the hilsa supply will return to normal within a few days and prices will come within buyers' reach."

The 22-day ban to protect mother hilsa was in force from October 4 to October 25. Patuakhali district has 80,020 registered fishermen. After the ban, fishermen went back to fishing in the Payra, Tentulia and Agunmukha Piya rivers and the Bay of Bengal from midnight on Saturday (the report gives the date as October 26).

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