46 maunds (1.65 tons) of hilsa caught in one net in Bay, sold for Tk48.5 lakh

Hilsa on sale at the Kuakata wholesale market on Saturday 8 August 2026.

Patuakhali: 46 maunds (1.65 tons) of hilsa were caught in the net of a fishing trawler in the Bay of Bengal adjacent to Kuakata in Patuakhali. These fish were sold at an auction at Mahipur Fisheries Port on Friday afternoon for 48.5 lakh taka. Fishermen and fisheries related people are elated after catching such a large amount of hilsa in one net.

It is known that on August 6, Majhi Alamgir cast a net of a fishing trawler named FB Junaid in the deep sea adjacent to the last buoy of Payra Sea Port. About 2,200 pieces of hilsa were caught in one cast. Later on Friday afternoon, the trawler reached Mahipur Fisheries Port with the fish. The fish were sold through auction at Monowara Fish Market.

According to sources, 24 maunds of hilsa weighing 1 kg or more are sold at a price of 1 lakh 15 thousand taka per maund. This yields 27 lakh 60 thousand taka. And 22 maunds of hilsa weighing 800 to 900 grams are sold at a price of 95 thousand taka per maund, yielding 20 lakh 90 thousand taka. In total, 46 maunds of hilsa were sold for 48 lakh 50 thousand taka.

Trawler Majhi Alamgir said that after almost five years, they received such a large consignment of hilsa together. They are all happy to receive such fish after a long period of losses.

Manager of Monowara Fish, Sagir Akon, said that after a long time, such a large consignment of hilsa has arrived. Currently, the price of hilsa in the market is high, so the fishermen have received a good price. Usually, such large hilsa is not available together.

Research assistant of the ‘Healthy Sea’ project implemented in collaboration with WCS and WorldFish, funded by the Blue Action Fund, Md. Bakhtiar Rahman said that recently, most of the fishing boats have not been able to catch the desired amount of hilsa. Among them, the fact that 46 maunds of hilsa were caught in one trawler is undoubtedly a relief. And it has instilled hope among the fishermen.

He said that there is no scope to see the catch of more than one day as an indicator of the overall abundance of hilsa. The matter should be evaluated based on continuous observation and scientific data. To maintain the positive trend of hilsa, awareness of fishermen, refraining from catching fish during the breeding season and continuous implementation of conservation activities are important.

Kalapara Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said that there was a drought of hilsa in the sea a few days ago. Currently, hilsa is being caught quite well in the fishermen's nets. If the rain continues, more hilsa can be found. This will benefit everyone involved in hilsa, including fishermen, traders. Gofran Palash