Around 100 tons of ilish were sold from Friday night to Saturday morning as a nightlong ilish fair was held under the Hashamdia Flyover in Bhanga municipality of Faridpur district.
A huge crowd of buyers from nearby upazilas was seen in the fair as a 22-day nationwide ban on ilish fishing began from Saturday midnight to protect mother ilish during the breeding season.
The ban will remain in force until October 26.
Despite limited supply, prices remained within buyers' reach, according to several customers and vendors.
Some traders said there were more buyers than fish, but the prices didn’t rise unfairly.
Ilish was being sold at prices Tk100–200 lower per kg than regular market rates.
One kg-sized ilish was priced between Tk2,000 and Tk2,200, 500-gram-sized ilish fetched Tk800–1,000 per kg and 250-gram-sized ilish sold for Tk550–600 per kg.
Locals said the fair is held once a year on the eve of the government’s annual ilish conservation ban.
Vendors, including Naran Dutta, Haran Saha, and Zakir Hossain, said the overall supply was lower than last year but prices stayed relatively stable.
