Photo: BSS

BHOLA, Aug 31, 2026 (BSS) - Rivers in coastal Bhola and adjoining districts, renowned as major Hilsa fishing grounds, are now teeming with the much-awaited silver Hilsa as fishermen return with abundant catches amid the peak fishing season.

For the past two weeks, fishermen have been delighted to find large and medium-sized Hilsa in abundance in their nets. With catches increasing significantly, fish traders in the coastal region are now preparing to export surplus Hilsa after meeting domestic demand.

Fishermen have been busy catching Hilsa in the Meghna, Tetulia, Kalabador, Betua, Buragauranga and Ilisha rivers of the district.

Fishermen, fish auctioneers, buyers and retail fish sellers in different river areas expressed their satisfaction over the increased availability of the prized fish.

Badsha Mia, general secretary of the Ilisha Fish Ghat Arat Owners' Association in Bhola Sadar upazila, told BSS that the size of Hilsa caught by fishermen had remained very small over the past four weeks.

"Most of the Hilsa caught weighed between 200 and 700 grams, while prices were also high. As we could not find graded-size Hilsa, we were unable to send sufficient quantities to wholesale markets. But now we are considering exporting the surplus Hilsa after meeting local and national demand," he said.

Wholesalers (Aratdars) Abu Bakar and Mofazzal Majhi of the same fish landing centre said trading had become brisk over the past week as large-sized Hilsa were being caught in abundance.

The increased supply has also enabled ordinary consumers to buy Hilsa, they said.

Fishermen said Hilsa prices had fallen considerably due to the increased availability of the fish. A 500-gram Hilsa that sold for Taka 600 a few days ago is now selling for around Taka 300, while the price of an 800-gram Hilsa has dropped from Taka 1,100 to Taka 700.

Abu Faraji Abdullah Majhi and Naimuddin Majhi, fishermen from the Tulatuli area on the bank of the Meghna River in Bhola, said they caught around 36 kilograms of large-sized Hilsa after fishing throughout Monday night.

Meanwhile, fishermen in the Meghna River in Monpura upazila, located near the sea mouth, are regularly catching Hilsa weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 kilograms.

On Sunday (August 30), two such "King Hilsa" were sold for Taka 15,000 at an auction.

Rafik Majhi said the two large Hilsa were caught along with smaller fish while he was casting nets in the Meghna River on Sunday. He separated the two large fish and took them to the Arat, a wholesale depot or market hub, for auction.

Monpura Upazila Fisheries Officer Jayanta Kumar Opu told BSS that the Meghna had faced a shortage of Hilsa just a few days ago.

"Catching large-sized Hilsa in the nets of fishermen is a matter of relief. We hope even larger Hilsa will be caught in the coming days," he said.

The abundance of King Hilsa is also increasing at Samraj Fish Port in Char Fasson, a coastal upazila of Bhola, according to fishermen.

Md Imam Hossain Patwari, an aratdar at the port, told BSS that trading had become lively as large-sized Hilsa were now available in greater quantities.

He said Hilsa worth around Taka 100 crore is sent from the port every day to Dhaka, Chattogram and other parts of the country.

"Given the way large-sized Hilsa have been caught in recent days, local fish traders are preparing to export surplus Hilsa to different countries after meeting domestic demand," he said.

According to the district fisheries department, the Hilsa production target in Bhola this season is around 189,000 to 192,000 metric tonnes.

The district has 171,000 registered fishermen, while more than 200,000 additional fishermen are estimated to be unregistered.

Bhola District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Delwar Hossain said large-sized Hilsa are being caught in the rivers. If fishermen become more aware and comply with fishing bans, both the production and size of Hilsa will increase.

People involved in the fisheries sector said the Meghna estuary is one of the country's major Hilsa fishing grounds. If river conditions and weather remain favourable, even larger Hilsa are expected to be caught during the current season.

They said exporting surplus Hilsa after meeting domestic demand could help further strengthen the country's Hilsa resources and contribute to the economy.