Hilsa catch drops by 105,746 tonnes in four years in Barishal

BARISHAL, Oct 7: Hilsa production in Barishal Division has fallen by 105,746 tonnes in four years, while fishermen are struggling to find the prized fish in rivers and the sea ahead of a 22-day fishing ban.

The decline has coincided with a major expansion of shipping activity in the region. The Rabnabad Channel, once an important hilsa migration route, is now a key shipping corridor for Payra port and is regularly dredged to maintain navigability.

Fishermen say hilsa catches have fallen sharply. Wholesale prices in Barishal have risen by Tk 250 to Tk 300 per kilogram in the past week.

The government has not established a direct link between dredging and the decline in hilsa. Researchers, however, say changes in river depth, water flow and sediment movement should be examined alongside hilsa migration and spawning data.

The Department of Fisheries figures show Barishal produced 372,343 tonnes of hilsa in 2022-23. Production fell to 348,834 tonnes in 2023-24, 334,783 tonnes in 2024-25 and 266,597 tonnes in 2025-26 �" a decline of nearly 28% in four years.

The fall is concerning because hilsa migrate from the sea to rivers to spawn, and water depth and flow are important for that migration.

Anisur Rahman, a former official of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, said changes in water flow, temperature and water quality could affect hilsa movement and breeding.

A recent study of the Rabnabad Channel found sediment deposition and underwater shoals following dredging. Researchers say dredging can alter the riverbed, tidal flow and sediment movement. However, there is no long-term government dataset comparing those changes with hilsa migration.

Mohammad Shahzada, executive director of the NGO Prantojon Trust, said thousands of fishermen once depended on the Rabnabad for hilsa. “There is hardly any fish there now because of the port,” he said, adding that the impact of dredging was difficult to quantify because adequate before-and-after data were unavailable.

The decline is also reflected in fish size. Fisheries data show the average length of hilsa caught in Bangladesh fell from 14.65 inches in 2022-23 to 13.39 inches in 2025-26. Traders said 400- to 700-gram fish now dominate Barishal markets, while larger hilsa are becoming less common.

Prof Md Rajib Sarker of Patuakhali Science and Technology University said overfishing, jatka fishing, illegal nets, changes in temperature and salinity, food availability, pollution and habitat degradation could all contribute to the decline.

“Rabnabad alone cannot be blamed,” Sarker said. “We need continuous scientific data to determine how much each factor is contributing.”

Hilsa fishing will be banned for 22 days from October 8 to protect spawning. In Barishal division, 358,516 fishermen are expected to receive 25 kilograms of rice each during the ban.

Researchers say protecting hilsa requires more than seasonal bans. The rivers through which the fish migrate also need long-term monitoring to determine the causes of the decline.