The quantity of ilish caught in the rivers of the southern districts has dropped significantly since the 22-day ban ended last month, triggering a price hike at both wholesale and retail levels.
Taking advantage of rising demand, some traders at the country's largest wholesale market in Chandpur have started selling ilish from their stock that were caught illegally during the ban and kept in secret cold storages.
A visit to the Boro Station Ghat market in Chandpur on Friday revealed that the number of fresh ilish brought to the market from different areas of the district, Barisal and Bhola, altogether was very low compared to the daily average catch in the Meghna-Padma estuary in the peak season. Hence, the price has shot up to Tk52,000 to Tk60,000 per maund.
On the other hand, the price of the stolen hilsa ranges from Tk38,000 to Tk40,000.
The ban on ilish catch, transportation and sales ended on October 28. Mobile courts of the districts concerned, the Fisheries Department and the Coast Guard conducted raids to stop the fishermen from catching mother hilsa during the ban. Hilsa usually return to the sea after releasing eggs in the rivers.
However, some influential traders managed to catch large amounts of hilsa and stock them in Sadar and Haimchar upazilas due to the availability of electricity facilities in Char areas, sources said. After the campaign, the hilsa fish are being brought to the Boro Station market almost every day.
The peak season of hilsa starts from June-July and a lot of hilsa is caught till October.
Chandpur Boro Station Fish Traders Association General Secretary Sabe Barat Sarkar said that the price of fresh local fish was much higher than it was in September due to unavailability. “We're selling hilsa weighing 1kg to 1.2kg at Tk1,300-1,400 per kg and 700-800gm at the rate of Tk900-1,000 per kg.”
Asked about the stolen fish from last month, he said that some frozen fish were available in the market.