Hilsa becomes a luxury for low-income people

LALMOHAN, BHOLA, Sept 15: Hilsa catches have declined sharply in the Meghna and Tentulia rivers in Lalmohan Upazila, leaving fishermen frustrated and pushing the popular fish beyond the reach of many low-income people.

With supplies falling, hilsa prices have soared at fish landing stations and local markets. While some low-income families manage to buy small jatka (immature hilsa) with great difficulty, larger hilsa has become almost unaffordable.

Many shoppers are returning home empty-handed after hearing the prices, while others are opting for cheaper varieties of fish.

Five to seven years ago, sellers would display large quantities of hilsa at village markets on market days. Both middle- and low-income families could afford the fish, often buying two, four or even more depending on their needs. Medium and large hilsa were also readily available.

But the sharp decline in catches has now turned hilsa into a luxury for many.

Md Jahangir, an auto-rickshaw driver, said he had bought hilsa about a year ago, but even that was jatka.

“Now four small hilsa cost Tk 800-1,000. My children love hilsa. I have gone to the market twice recently to buy some for them, but returned with other fish after hearing the price,” he said.

Md Harun, a roadside bag seller in the municipal town, said he bought eight small hilsa for Tk 800 about a week ago.

“The fish were very small. The eight together weighed around one kilogram. When I asked the seller about the price of a one-kilogram hilsa, he said it was Tk 2,800. We may crave hilsa, but we cannot afford a large one. Hilsa has become a fish for the rich,” he said.

Md Zubayer, an aratdar at Nazirpur Fish Landing Station beside the Tetulia River, said four small hilsa weighing about one kilogram cost around Tk 1,000 at the landing station.

“A one-kilogram hilsa costs around Tk 2,500, while a 1.5kg fish costs around Tk 3,500,” he said.

According to Zubayer, prices have increased because fishermen have been catching less hilsa from the rivers over the past several years. This year, catches have declined further compared with previous years, he said.

Fisherman Md Mosleh Uddin of Batir Khal Fish Landing Station in Dhaligouranagar Union said he was also struggling because of the poor catch.

“I used to catch plenty of hilsa in the river a few years ago and could support my family well. But this year, there is hardly any hilsa in the river. That is why I and many other fishermen are going out less frequently,” he said.

Several fishermen have already left for Chattogram in search of work, while Mosleh said he was now heavily in debt.

Lalmohan Upazila Fisheries Officer Ali Ahmad Akhand said 24,806 fishermen were registered in the upazila, although the actual number was higher.

The fishermen go to the Meghna and Tetulia rivers through around 27 large and small fish landing stations in the upazila, he said.

“It is now the peak hilsa season. Yet we are hearing that fishermen are not getting enough hilsa in the rivers. We are regularly communicating with higher authorities to identify the reasons,” he said.

Md Mozammel Haque, senior scientific officer of the Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute, said the decline in hilsa catches in the Meghna and Tetulia was not a new phenomenon.

“For more than five years, numerous submerged and emerging chars have obstructed the natural movement of hilsa in the rivers. As a result, fishermen are not getting the expected catch,” he said.

“If the rivers are dredged soon, we hope fishermen will once again get hilsa as they did in the past,” he added.