A fresh baghair fish weighing 31kg, caught in the Jamuna river, was brought to Singra market in Natore for sale, along with a smaller baghair of 11kg. Curious crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the two fish, which were later sold at Tk 1,000 and Tk 800 a kg respectively.

Abu Bakkar, a wholesaler at Singra fish market, said the two fresh baghair, of 31kg and 11kg, came to the market for sale at noon on Wednesday. They were still alive; they were not thrashing about but were breathing slowly.

Baghair are not found in the Chalan Beel, so news of live baghair arriving in Singra town, the heart of the Chalan Beel, spread in moments. Local people crowded in to see the fish, and many took photos with them on their mobile phones and posted them on social media. Bargaining went on at the same time. The owner of the fish asked Tk 1,500 a kg, but in the end sold the bigger one for Tk 1,000 a kg and the smaller one for Tk 800 a kg.

The fish were brought to Singra market by Ismail Hossain, a fish trader from Dhunat upazila in Bogura. He said both were caught in fishermen's nets in the Jamuna on Wednesday morning. He bought them from the fishermen on the spot and brought them to Singra town to sell at a higher price.

Ismail, who said he has been buying and selling fish for 55 years, said a baghair can live longer than any other fish if it can breathe. He took great care to keep the two fish alive, because live fish fetch higher prices and most customers want to buy them live.

Abu Bakkar said the bigger fish finally sold at Tk 1,000 a kg and the smaller one at Tk 800 a kg. Two traders in the town bought them, and the seller was happy to get the price he wanted.

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.