Ilish started flooding the fish markets of the port city as the government lifted its ban on netting fish in the Bay of Bengal on July 23.
The trawler owners and wholesalers were all smiles as the fishermen were returning from the Bay with trawlers full of fishes.
Soon after the catch ban ended, some 30 trawlers loaded with Ilish landed at the city’s Fishery Ghat (fish landing centre) area on Friday night.
The usual hustle and bustle returned to the wholesale market with the arrival of different types of fish netted from the Bay.
The fish landed at the Fishery Ghat is later supplied to more than 50 markets of the port city and 14 upazilas of the district.
On Saturday, Ilish weighing between 700-800 grams was sold at Tk18,000 per maund, 500-600 grams of Ilish was sold at Tk 14,000 per maund and Ilish weighing below 500 grams was sold at Tk 12,000 per maund.
Aminul Haque Babul Sarkar, general secretary of Sonali Jantrik Matsya Shilpa Somobay Samity, told the Dhaka Tribune the fishing had not begun in full swing due to bad weather in the Bay.
“We hope that the fishermen will be able to net huge chunks of fish with the weather returning to normal. The price of Ilish will drop in the markets with huge supply,” he said.
According to the District Fisheries Office, there are a total of 2400 registered fishermen in Chittagong. Of them, as many as 2000 fishermen are involved with netting Ilish.
Farhana Lovely, district fisheries officer, said that various initiatives were taken in the district to raise awareness among the fishermen, traders, and locals about protecting mother Ilish.
“The catch of Ilish has risen significantly this year due to better management during the fish spawning season, moreover intensified vigilance against Ilish catching during the ban period and increased frequency of drives against offenders have also helped the cause,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ilish contributes to one percent of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP) and 11 per cent of the country's total fish production.
A total of half a million fishermen of the country are directly involved with Ilish netting. The livelihood of another 2 million people is involved with this fish.
The government imposed a 65-day-long ban on fishing in the Bay that came to an end on July 23.
