West Bengal has received its first consignment of Hilsa from Bangladesh for the season, with around 50 metric tonnes (MT) of the prized fish arriving on Thursday.
Despite this delivery, both importers and consumers are grappling with smaller-sized fish and higher prices, largely due to a disappointing catch in Bangladesh this year.
S.A. Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers' Association in West Bengal, confirmed the arrival of 50 MT of Hilsa and said that another 30-40 MT are expected over the weekend.
“Around 50 MT of Hilsa from Bangladesh have already reached West Bengal. Another 30–40 MT are expected to reach over the weekend,” he said.
The Bangladesh government has allowed around 49 companies to export 2,420 MT of Hilsa this year through the Petrapole border. The remaining shipments are expected in the coming days, according to those familiar with the arrangement.
Hilsa, often dubbed the “Queen of Fish” for its exceptional flavour, is a staple in Bengal, especially during the festive season of Durga Puja.
The fish imported from Bangladesh’s Padma River is considered more flavourful than the variety found in West Bengal’s Hooghly River.
The demand for Bangladeshi Hilsa extends beyond West Bengal, with Assam and Tripura also eagerly awaiting its arrival.
The India-Bangladesh Durga Puja tradition
Bangladesh’s former Sheikh Hasina-led government had banned the export of Hilsa in 2012, but starting in 2019, a few thousand metric tonnes have been allowed for export to India each year around Durga Puja, seen as a goodwill gesture.
“In 2021, 2022, and 2023, we imported around 4,600 MT, 2,900 MT, and 3,950 MT of Hilsa from Bangladesh, respectively,” Maqsood added, indicating that this year's export allowance of 2,420 MT is lower than previous years.
The Fish Importers’ Association had earlier this year petitioned Bangladesh’s interim government to lift the export ban. In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh announced on 21 September that 3,000 MT of Hilsa would be exported to West Bengal.
By Friday, the first batch of imported Hilsa had made its way to wholesale markets in Howrah, Sealdah, Patipukur, and Siliguri, and by Saturday, they were available in local retail markets.
However, Maqsood noted that both the size of the fish and the pricing were concerning this year.
“This time, the size of the fishes is smaller and their prices dearer. The production has been low this year in Bangladesh,” he said.
The average size of the fish imported this year ranges between 700 grams to 1 kilogram, compared to 1 kilogram to 1.5 kilograms in previous years.
Prices, too, have surged, with Hilsa selling at ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 per kilogram in the wholesale market, making it more expensive for consumers.
Dwindling Hilsa hauls in West Bengal
The Hilsa catch in West Bengal has been on a steady decline for years.
Shyamsundar Das, joint secretary of the West Bengal United Fishermen Association, said that a combination of factors, including overfishing, pollution, and siltation, has resulted in reduced catches.
“The Hilsa catch in West Bengal, however, has been going down over the years for multiple reasons. This year the production has been bad. So far, only around 2,000 metric tonnes have been hauled,” Das explained.
In 2011, the Hilsa haul in West Bengal was around 16,500 metric tonnes, but by 2017, it had plummeted to below 10,000 MT. The state experienced its largest recent catch in 2017, with 26,000 metric tonnes.
However, by 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the catch had fallen to a mere 2,085 metric tonnes—the lowest in years.
In the years following, the trend continued. West Bengal’s fishermen caught only 6,170 MT in 2021, 5,600 MT in 2022, and 6,800 MT in 2023.
“This decline is largely due to unbridled fishing, pollution, rainfall, and the decreasing depth of rivers caused by siltation,” Das said.
Hilsa, a migratory fish, swims from the sea into rivers like the Hooghly to spawn during the monsoon season. However, these fish are highly sensitive to environmental changes and will avoid rivers that no longer meet their spawning needs.
If they encounter unsuitable conditions in the Hooghly, they may enter the Meghna-Padma estuary in Bangladesh, where they find more favourable conditions, Das explained.
River siltation and fishing regulations
Experts attribute siltation near river mouths as one of the major obstacles preventing Hilsa from swimming upstream.
“If the Hilsa doesn’t get a depth of 30 to 40 feet, it won’t swim upstream. In the Hooghly, this depth has come down to around 20 to 25 feet due to years of siltation,” said a senior official from West Bengal’s fishery department.
While India enforces a ban on fishing from mid-April to mid-June, there are calls to further regulate fishing practices.
Increasing the size of fishing nets, for instance, would allow juvenile Hilsa to escape and grow.
Bangladesh has implemented stricter fishing laws and, as a result, continues to enjoy bumper catches year after year.
“Nowadays, we hardly get Hilsa more than 1.5 kilograms in the Hooghly River,” the official added.
With dwindling local supplies, consumers are left with smaller fish, driving prices even higher.
In Kolkata, Hilsa weighing over 1.5 kilograms now sells for ₹2,000 to ₹2,500 per kilogram, and decent-sized fish have become increasingly rare.
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