Fishing not on, locals fear losing window to net hilsa

The Padma hilsa swims several kilometres upstream to spawn in freshwater around this time, and returns to salty water afterwards. Arun Mondal, who has been fishing hilsa in the Padma for over 45 years, said, “We get to catch this fish only once a year, but if fishing is stopped that opportunity will be gone.”

Simar Haque, who is in the fish business, said, “On a good day, a fisherman makes profit of around Rs 10,000, and it can go up to Rs 50,000 during the entire season lasting 22 days. Those who made investments are staring at heavy losses if more days go waste.”