46 maunds of Hilsa caught in one haul

A total of 46 maunds of hilsa were caught in a single haul of a fishing net in the Bay of Bengal off the Kuakata coast in Patuakhali.

The fish were sold at an auction at the Mohipur Fisheries Port on Friday night for Tk 48.5 lakh.

The fishermen and people involved in the fisheries sector were excited over the unusually large haul of hilsa in a single net cast. They said the catch has brought some relief after a prolonged period of poor fishing and losses.

According to sources, on August 6, trawler skipper Alamgir cast a net from the fishing trawler FB Junaid in the deep sea near the last buoy of Payra Sea Port.

Around 2,200 hilsa were caught in a single cast.

The trawler reached Mohipur Fisheries Port with the fish on Friday afternoon. The hilsa were then sold through an auction at Monowara Fish Market.

Kalapara Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said there had been a scarcity of hilsa in the sea a few days ago, but fishermen were now catching the fish in significant quantities.

“If the rainfall continues, more hilsa may be caught. This will benefit everyone involved in the hilsa sector, particularly fishermen and fish traders,” he said.

According to market Kalapara Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha, 24 maunds of hilsa weighing 1kg or more were sold at Tk 1.15 lakh per maund, fetching Tk 27.6 lakh.

Another 22 maunds of hilsa weighing between 800 and 900 grams were sold at Tk 95,000 per maund, fetching Tk 20.9 lakh.

In total, the 46 maunds of hilsa fetched Tk 48.5 lakh.

Trawler skipper Alamgir said they had not received such a large haul of hilsa at once in nearly five years.
Sagir Akon, manager of Monowara Fish, said such a large consignment of hilsa had arrived at the market after a long time.