On the evening before the 22-day ban for the main hilsa breeding season, Wednesday (7 October), traders used loudspeakers to sell hilsa in at least 20 markets of Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali. Coastal markets usually empty after dark, but that night hilsa was laid out in Kalapara, Alipur, Mohipur, Chapli and other markets, and the crowds of buyers grew as the night went on.
Hilsa of about 1 kg sold for Tk 2,500 to 2,600 a kg. Fish of 800-900 g fetched Tk 1,500 to 1,700, those of 500-600 g Tk 800 to 1,000, and jatka (young hilsa) Tk 500 to 550 a kg. Buyers and sellers had mixed feelings about the prices.
Local buyer Farid Uddin Bipu said he had come to buy hilsa for his family before the ban; prices seemed a little higher than usual, but he was buying what he needed. Fish trader Babul Khan said demand rose at the last minute, so buyers pressed in from dusk. Aynal Ali of Chapli market said trade would stop for 22 days and that prices depended on the size and quality of the fish.
Kalapara upazila fisheries officer Md Zahirunnabi said catching, transporting, storing and selling hilsa is banned from 8 to 29 October. The administration, coast guard, river police and police are coordinating enforcement, and since 6 October loudspeaker announcements have been warning fishers and traders in Kalapara, Alipur, Mohipur, Ashakhali, Dulasar, Chapli and Kuakata.
He said 459.10 tonnes of rice has been allotted for the upazila's 18,364 registered fishers, 25 kg each, and that rivers and the sea will be patrolled regularly and closely watched during the ban.
The report is by The Daily Observer's correspondent.
Photo: Press Information Department / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: The Daily Observer
Comments
(0)