Hilsa herring

Hilsa herring (Tenualosa ilisha) is a species of herring, in the family Clupeidae, that is very popular as a food fish in South Asia. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1% of GDP in Bangladesh. About 450,000 people are directly involved with the catching for livelihood; millions more are indirectly involved and taking benefits from hilsa trading.

Distribution and habitat

Hilsa is anadromous in nature and born in the sea but they generally live in the river. They are found in the Bay of Bengal and ascend into the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Jumna rivers throughout India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar to spawn.

As food

Hilsa is considered the most important fish in Bengali cuisine and is the national fish of Bangladesh. It is also very popular in India, especially West Bengal, Odisha, Tripura, Assam and Andhra Pradesh. It is also exported globally.

Fishing

Hilsa fishing is a major industry in Bangladesh and West Bengal. The fishing is done using a kind of net known as a jatka, which is drawn through the water in order to catch the fish. The fishing season is mainly during the monsoon, between July and October.

Conservation

Due to overfishing, the population of hilsa has been declining rapidly. In order to protect this species, the governments of Bangladesh and India have imposed restrictions on hilsa fishing. In Bangladesh, the fishing of hilsa was banned during its breeding season and the government has initiated a program to buy back hilsa nets from fishermen as a part of its conservation efforts.

See also

• Fisheries in Bangladesh
• Bengali cuisine
• Herring