23kg Padma catla fetches Tk55,200 at auction in Rajbari

A giant catla fish weighing around 23 kilograms, caught in the Padma River near Daulatdia ferry terminal in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari, was sold for Tk55,200 at an auction on Thursday morning.

The prized catch, which fetched Tk2,400 per kg, was caught by fishermen near ferry terminals No. 3 and 4 early in the morning before being brought to a local fish wholesale market for auction.

Fisherman Lutfar Rahman, also known as Lutfar Halder, went fishing in the Padma River before dawn, as he does regularly.

He cast a fishing net in the river between Daulatdia ferry terminals No. 3 and 4. After a while, he felt a strong tug on the net, realising that a large fish had been caught.

When the fishermen pulled the net into their boat, they were delighted to find a huge catla fish.

They immediately brought the catch to the Daulatdia ferry terminal for sale. At Rezaul Mondol's wholesale fish market, the fish was weighed at around 23kg before being put up for auction.

Local fish trader Chandu Molla emerged as the highest bidder, purchasing the fish for Tk55,200 at Tk2,400 per kg.

Md Chandu Molla, owner of Chandu Molla Fish Wholesale Market near ferry terminal No. 5 in Daulatdia, said Lutfar Halder contacted him over the phone shortly after catching the fish.

The fish was brought to Rezaul Mondol's market around 6 am, where an auction was arranged, he said.

"I bought the 23kg catla for Tk55,200, offering Tk2,400 per kg," Chandu said.

After purchasing the fish, he posted its pictures and videos on his Facebook account and contacted several acquaintances at home and abroad to find a buyer.

Later, a businessman known to him from Dhaka's Gulshan area bought the fish for Tk57,500, earning Chandu a profit of Tk100 per kg, he said.

Chandu added that the fish was dispatched to Dhaka by a long-distance bus around 10:30 am, following the buyer's instructions.

He said he had rarely seen such a large catla caught using a cast net and that this was the first time this season he had purchased such a big fish.

The trader said the capture of large fish in the Padma River was benefiting not only fishermen but also local fish traders.