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Hilsa shows up finally after a long wait

Star Country Desk
Hilsa fish has finally shown up and is being netted in plenty in coastal areas of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola districts, two months after the start of the fishing season.
Trawlers loaded with the delicious fish are returning from the Bay to the fish landing stations in Mohipur, Alipur under Kalapara upazila, Rangabali, Charmontaz, Moudubi under Rangabali upazila in Patuakhali district and Pathorghata, Amtali under Barguna district, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.
Fishermen and fish traders are upbeat as plenty of hilsa is being netted in the middle of the peak season.
Four-month-long hilsa catching season begun on 1 July and it will continue till 31 October. From 1 November starts the ban period of hilsa catching and ends on 30 June, according to district fisheries office.
Over 5000 fishing trawlers in the two coastal districts of Patuakhali and Barguna sailed for deep sea to catch hilsa after the end of ban order on 30 June.
But from the beginning of the season the fishermen netted a very poor amount of hilsa. Since 1 September plenty of hilsa started to be netted, making the local fishermen and fish traders much satisfied.
Since 30 August, over 400 tones of hilsa used to come a day from the Bay to the fish landing stations, fishing trawler owners and fish traders in Patuakhali and
Barguna districts said. But for the last two months, the fishermen got only 20-50 tons of fish daily, they added.
FB Mayer Doa, a fishing trawler that anchored at Mohipur fish landing station at night on Monday from the Bay, sold hilsa worth Ik 1.50 lakh while FB Jafar, another trawler, soldTk 1.30 lakh fish on the same day, Fazlu Gazi, president of Fish Traders Association in Mohipur said.
Hilsa prices are also decreasing in the local markets. The prices of the fish in wholesale markets in Patuakhali now range from Tk 400 to 800 per kg, depending on sizes. This correspondent, who visited some local fish markets on Tuesday, saw hilsa each
weighing over 1 kg are being sold atTk 27,000 to 32,000 per mound. Only one month ago those were sold at Tk 30,000 to 35,000 a maund, traders said.
In Bhola, about two lakh fishermen are now passing busy hours as they are getting plenty of hilsa in the last 2/3 days, reports our correspondent.
There are 67 fish landing stations in the district listed by the district fishery department while around 90 thousand fishermen live on fishing.
After a long wait, the fishermen are netting a huge quantity of hilsa in Meghna, Tentulia and in Bay, said local traders.
While visiting Kararhat, Tulatoli, Bholakhal, Hetnar
Haat and Nasir Majhi fish landing stations of Bhola Sadar on Monday morning, this correspondent found a large a number of fishermen and traders busy taking the fish to wholesale markets.
Md. Ershad, president of Small Fishermen Association of Bhola, said catching of fishes of good size and weight has made them happy.
Ripon Hawlader, a fish merchant at Tulatoli, said he heard from wholesalers at Biswa Road Ghat, Daser Haat Ghat that a good quantity of hilsa was being caught from the Meghna.
Pritish Kumar Mullik, District Fisheries Office in Bhola, said hilsa catching had gone up 10 times in the last 5 days.