Hilsa production on the rise in Bangladesh

Bangladesh produces 86 per cent of the world’s hilsa, that is, 533,000 tonnes. And in all likelihood it will be possible to produce 700,000 tonnes. Even four years ago Bangladesh would produce 65 per cent of the world’s hilsa. India ranks second in producing this fish and Myanmar third. Hilsa is also found in small amounts in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Pakistan.The ilish, also known as the ilisha, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the Indian Subcontinent.

The most famous hilsha fish comes from Chandpur District, Bangladesh. It is the national fish of Bangladesh and the state fish of West Bengal.The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1.15% of GDP in Bangladesh. On 6 August 2017, Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries of Bangladesh has declared the recognition of ilish as the product of Bangladesh.

70-75 percent of total produced ilish in the world is produced in Bangladesh which applied for Geographical Indication (GI) in 2004.About 450,000 people are directly involved in the catching of the fish as a large part of their livelihood; around four to five million people are indirectly involved with the trade. According to the department, the production of hilsa in the country in 2018-19 was 5 lakh 15 thousand tonnes which has increased to 5 lakh 33 thousand tonnes in 2019-20. At least sixty percent of hilsa produced in the country comes from the southern region, confirmed officials.

The fish is popular food amongst the people of South Asia and in the Middle East, but especially with Bengalis and Odias. Bengali fish curry is a popular dish made with mustard oil or seed. The Bengalis popularly call this dish Shorshe Ilish. It is also popular in India, especially in West Bengal, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. It is also exported globally.

In North America (where ilish is not always readily available) other shad fish are sometimes used as an ilish substitute, especially in Bengali cuisine. This typically occurs near the East coast of North America, where fresh shad fish having similar taste can be found.In Bangladesh, fish are caught in the Meghna-Jamuna delta,[8] which flows into the Bay of Bengal and Meghna (lower Brahmaputra), and Jamuna rivers.

In India, the Ganges Delta, Rupnarayan (which has the Kolaghater hilsa), Hooghly, Mahanadi,[9] Narmada and Godavari rivers and the Chilika Lake are famous for their fish yields.In Pakistan, most hilsa fish are caught in the Indus River Delta in Sindh. They are also caught in the sea, but some consider the marine stage of the fish as not so tasty. The fish has very sharp and tough bones, making it problematic to eat for some.

Hilsa researcher Dr Md Anisur Rahman, principal scientific officer of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, said, “I think more hilsa will be available this year than previous years. There are two reasons for this. One is instantaneous and the other is effect of hard, long-term supervision.””A strict programme to protect hilsa has been going since 2017. There’s a 65-day ban on catching hilsa at sea area, which ended on July 23. Besides, a 22-day ban of hilsa netting to protect mother fish and grow hilsa in the sanctuary for 2 months.”

SM Ajiar Rahman, Deputy Commissioner, Barishal, said, they have taken strict steps to protect mother hilsa and prevent jatka killing. District Fisheries Officer Abu Sayed said the administration and the fisheries department are keeping a close watch on the prevention of jatka killing and protection of mother hilsa every season.

 “Last year, 48.92 percent hilsa eggs hatched, which was 48 percent the year prior. This means that the rate of laying eggs is on the rise too,” Dr Anisur said.  ”Another reason is that there has been a lot of rainfall at the beginning of monsoon this year, which is favourable for hilsa production. The river has increased lots of plant and organic plankton. Getting favourable environment, hilsa bred more and started returning to the rivers.”

He said that the main reason for getting bigger hilsa is this higher rate of returning to the sea. For example, if a hilsa can go back three times a year, the number of eggs laid also increases. This means that the chances of hilsa growing are much higher than before, resulting in an increase in the abundance of hilsa above one kg.

Azizul Haque, divisional director at Barishal of Directorate of Fisheries, said hilsa production are increasing every year due to the implementation of government’s hilsa protection programme. Bimol Chandra Das, district fisheries officer (hilsa), Barishal, said the average weight of hilsa has increased from previous years. So much so, that this year saw an increase of 10-20 percent in weight.

“Everything kind of clicked this season. The weather has been favourable, rainfall has been great, people did not net jatka as much due to government restriction and strict monitoring. Also, the pandemic forced many to stay ashore. Due to these reasons, the rivers and sea have seen less pollution too,” he added.Mamun Dhali, a fisherman from Mehendiganj Upazila of Barishal, said they have netted much bigger hilsa compared to past several years.

(AA)