Hilsa catch in Bangladesh has fallen by more than 9% in four years and July–August 2025 landings were down nearly 39%, the fisheries ministry said, and the adviser apologised that prices could not be kept low.
A 22-day special drive to protect mother hilsa runs from 4 to 25 October, covering four days before the Ashwini full moon and three days after the new moon, the fisheries ministry announced.
The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission has recommended fixing hilsa prices according to weight after a study blamed middlemen and dadon lenders for soaring prices.
Some 103 tonnes of hilsa were exported to India through Benapole port in seven days, while many permit holders say high prices at home have stopped them sending any.
Fishers on Hatiya island in Noakhali protested against Indian fishers entering Bangladeshi waters during the hilsa ban and demanded a change to the ban's dates.
With the 22-day fishing ban a week away, hilsa at Chandpur's Borostation fish landing costs Tk 100-200 more a kg as supply falls short of demand.
Two Padma hilsa weighing 4.2 kg together were sold for Tk 17,640 at Daulatdia in Goalanda, Rajbari, to an expatriate living in America.
Hilsa prices have eased somewhat in Lakshmipur on the Meghna, with a one-kilogram fish selling for Tk 1,800-2,200, though fishers' leaders say catches remain below hopes.
A round-up of important news from around the world for Jago News readers on 22 September 2025.
High prices have left Bangladeshi hilsa trailing cheaper Gujarat and Myanmar fish in West Bengal's markets before Durga Puja.
The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has launched Bazardor, an Android app that gives daily updated prices of more than 100 essential goods.
Raw materials for Bangladesh's roughly Tk 50,000 crore feed industry have become cheaper, but feed prices have not come down.
Even in peak season, fishers in Shariatpur's Padma and Meghna rivers are catching few hilsa and are sinking deeper into debt.
