Dhaka, August 10 – Huge quantities of hilsa netted at sea flooded Barisal wholesale fish market at Port Road area of the city decreasing price, while netting of hilsa on local rivers becoming less. Visiting the market on Friday morning we found that more than fifty fishing trawlers carrying hilsa netted from Bhola coastal area anchored at Barishal Port Road Hilsa Mokam.
Those hilsa were netted from Bay of Bengal coast and Meghna river estuary and making the price competitively cheaper than last year of the same season.
Nirob Hossain Tutul, secretary of `Port Road Matso Arotdar Samittee’ said daily average 1000 mounds of hilsa fish netted in the sea came to this market. Most of the hilsa fish were 500-600 grams and due to huge supply at a time, the price of hilsa also came down compared with the same time of the previous year.
Nirob Hossain Tutul said labours and traders of hilsa fishes now busy to pack with ice for sending those Dhaka, Chattrogram and other districts of the country.
Now hilsa price in going from Tk 19 to 23 thousand per mound of 600-900 grams weight netted from the sea and it was Tk 35-36 thousand per mound for hilsa netted from sweet water local rivers, he added.
He also acknowledged that the supply of hilsa netted from local sweet water rivers were less and so its price was higher than huge hilsa netted from the sea more than a week ago. Because hilsa netted from sweet water local rivers were more tasty and fresh.
Bimal Chandra Das, district fisheries officer (hilsa), said mother hilsa entered in sweet water rivers returned to salty sea after spawning.
Hilsa fries (Jatka) also started the journey to sea after becoming matured. Round the year restrictions against netting and marketing Jatka causes an increase of hilsa-wealth. But due to rough weather prevailing on the sea barred fishermen go there for fishing, he added.
Rashid Majhi of Bhola coastal area said this year raining starts late, but netting amount of hilsa was satisfactory. However huge netting caused dropping of the price.
Samad Majhi, another hilsa trader of Charfession coast of Bhola, also expressing same views said if weather condition would become better, then netting of more hilsa would be possible.
Awal Majhi of the same coast, said with 13 crews and fishermen staying at sea for a week they netted huge hilsa, but after reaching at Barishal market, falling price made him disappointed.
Now I am feeling anxiety not about the amount of profit, but about the recovery of costs, he added.
On other hand hilsa fish trader Bazlu Mia of Mohipur fishing port under Kalapara coastal upazila of Patuakhali, said they also netting huge hilsa from Kuakata coast came Barishal market by road on trucks for getting better prices.
But this attempt also failed to make them happy and now thinking to preserve those supply with ice for getting more price in near future.
Retail hilsa trader Akbor Hossain said hilsa fish is a perishable item and huge supply at a time dropped the price.
Yunus Mia, a worker at Port Road Hilsa mokum, said now they became very busy for clearing huge supply of hilsa and so have no time for passing in gossip or playing cards. – Staff Reporter
