46 maunds of hilsa caught in single haul off Kuakata, sold for Tk48.5 lakh

Fishermen have caught around 46 maunds of hilsa in a single trawler in the Bay of Bengal near Kuakata in Patuakhali, with the haul fetching Tk48.5 lakh at an auction in Mahipur fish landing centre.

According to local sources, fisherman Alamgir, skipper of the fishing trawler FB Junaid, cast his net in the deep sea near the last buoy of Payra seaport on 6 August. The net yielded around 2,200 hilsa in a single haul.

The trawler returned to Mahipur fish landing centre at noon on Friday, where the fish were auctioned at Manowara Fish.

Of the total catch, 24 maunds of hilsa weighing 1kg or more were sold at Tk115,000 per maund, fetching Tk27.6 lakh. The remaining 22 maunds, weighing between 800g and 900g, were sold at Tk95,000 per maund for Tk20.9 lakh.

“We have caught such a large consignment of hilsa together after nearly five years. Around 2,200 fish were caught in just one cast,” skipper Alamgir said.

Manowara Fish manager Chhagir Akon said fishermen received good prices as hilsa prices remain high.

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Mohammad Bakhtiar Rahman, a research assistant with the Healthy Ocean project, said the large catch was encouraging but should not be viewed as evidence of overall hilsa abundance.

He stressed the need for continuous monitoring, scientific assessment, breeding-season protection and conservation measures.

Kalapara Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said hilsa catches had increased recently and could rise further if rainfall continued.