The life cycle of national fish hilsha is now in peril despite hundreds of crores of taka being spent by the government to protect and preserve it. Officials and experts say that while production has fallen, the fish itself is getting smaller — a warning sign for the country’s most iconic species.
A visit to Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar and Rayer Bazar reveals the same picture — markets flooded with small-sized hilsha. Even in the alleys of Jigatola and Dhanmondi, roaming vendors are seen selling baskets of hilsha fry, known as jatka.
Firoz Ahmed, deputy director of the Hilsha Management Division under the Department of Fisheries, said the fish are not getting the chance to grow. “If they were given at least one year, they would have reached a larger size,” he noted.
A shrinking sanctuary
To enhance hilsha conservation and production, the government has designated several sanctuaries — free movement and breeding zones — across major river systems.
These include: 100 km of the Meghna River basin from Shatnol in Chandpur to Char Alexander in Lakshmipur; 90 km from Madanpur or Char Ilisha in Bhola to Char Piyal; around 100 km of the Tetulia River from Veduria in Bhola to Char Rustam in Patuakhali; 40 km of the Andharmanik River in Kalapara, Patuakhali; 20 km of the lower Padma in Shariatpur; and about 82 km of the Meghna River adjoining Hizla, Mehendiganj, Gajaria and Barishal Sadar upazila.
These zones are recognised as the key breeding and spawning grounds for hilsha.
Yet, environmental pollution and weak enforcement of conservation laws have endangered even these protected habitats, according to experts.
Mir Mohammad Ali, chairman of the Department of Aquaculture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University — who earlier worked on an international hilsha research project — said unplanned development was destroying the fish’s natural zones.
“The Andharmanik area in Patuakhali used to be a major hilsha habitat. Now, due to the impact of nearby industrial activities, sedimentation has increased. The environment has changed — sometimes there isn’t even enough water. So it’s no longer a suitable area for hilsha to thrive,” he said.
He added that the rampant use of advanced but illegal fishing nets in recent years had disrupted hilsha reproduction, shrinking the entire production pipeline. “As a result, the hilsha’s life cycle itself is now under threat,” he warned.
Technology and trawling
Md Abu Kausar Didar, scientific officer at Fisheries Research Institute, Chandpur, said fishermen are now using technologies such as eco-sonar, fish finders and echo sounders to locate shoals, which they then capture through trawling.
“The excessive use of such technology affects the biodiversity of hilsha,” he said. “Moreover, thousands of illegal nets across river estuaries block the natural movement of fish into the rivers.”
Production on the decline
To boost production, the government launched a Tk 250-crore hilsha conservation project in 2020. But results have been mixed.
An analysis of data from fiscal years 2019–20 to 2023–24 shows production rose by 15,000 metric tonnes in the first year, 2,000 in the second, and 4,000 in the third — only to fall by 41,000 metric tonnes in the fourth year.
Officials at the Department of Fisheries say there is little good news this year either. Experts fear the downward trend will continue.
Syed Zulfikar Mahmud, a trawler owner from Bhola Sadar who has been in the hilsha trade for two decades, said production has been steadily falling for a decade.
“If the weather cooperates, we can send out trawlers 15 to 20 times a year, but only five to ten trips bring in full catches. Over the past decade, production has dropped by at least 25 percent,” he said.
Md Mozammel Haque, senior scientific officer at the Fisheries Research Institute, Chandpur, said mismanagement is partly to blame. “There are natural factors, of course, but there are many human causes as well. Weak enforcement of conservation laws in recent years has led to a contraction in hilsha production,” he said.
Smaller fish, shrinking hope
In recent years, not only has total production declined, but the hilsha being caught are also getting smaller. Large hilsha have become rare. Even during this year’s peak season, most of the catch consisted of jatka and small fish.
At Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar, fish trader Aolad Hossain Khan said: “Hilsha over one and a half kilos are very rare. There are some around one kilo, but their high price has reduced sales. Most buyers are purchasing fish weighing between 300 and 700 grams.”
Veteran wholesale trader Jahir Shikdar from Barishal echoed this view. “In some places, a lot of hilsha were caught this year, but most are small — around 300 to 350 grams,” he said.
Banshi Saudagar, director of the Cox’s Bazar Trawler Owners’ Association, added, “This year we mostly caught jatka, followed by hilsha weighing 700 to 800 grams. Big ones are very few.”
When asked why larger fish were so scarce even in peak season, Md Mozammel Haque explained, “In almost every location where we worked this year, smaller fish dominated the catch. But this shouldn’t happen before the spawning period. The unrestricted and illegal use of trawling nets has caused this situation — the fish simply aren’t getting the chance to grow.”
Another scientific officer, requesting anonymity, said, “Many hilsha get trapped while returning to the sea after laying eggs for the first time. The mesh of trawling nets becomes tighter when stretched, catching even the smallest fish. Because of lax enforcement of fishing laws, the entire hilsha production pipeline has shrunk in recent years. Without strict law enforcement, there is no solution in sight.”
