Explained: Why Hilsa Fish Is So Popular In Bengal

With the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, the first consignment of Hilsa fish arrived in the markets of Kolkata¡¯s adjoining Howrah wholesale fish market from Bangladesh.

Hilsa is not only a delicious food popular in Kolkata but has also carved its place in maintaining diplomatic relations with the country. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested Bangladesh Commerce Minister during his visit to India this year, to request Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to send hilsa or rohu to India this festive season.

Bangladesh is the largest Hilsa producer

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The largest producer of Hilsa is Bangladesh, making a good profit by exporting it to India. Over 86 per cent of the world¡¯s hilsa is produced in the country. A total of 5 lakh 50 thousand tons of Hilsa have been extracted in the financial year 2019-20.

After the partition of India in 1947, Hilsa-loving Bengalis were also divided and Bangladesh majorly extracts the Hilsa fish.

On August 2012, Bangladesh banned catching hilsa fish due to insufficient production but decided to lift the ban on its export to India during the Durga Puja in 2019. The demand for Hilsa is majorly in Odisha, Tripura and Assam.

Huge demand for Hilsa during Durga Puja

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One of the most important festivals of Bengalis, Durga Puja, witnesses the high demand for Hilsa fish.

Syed Anwar Massod, secretary of West Bengal Fish Importers Association, told The Hindu, ¡°this year Bangladesh has given permission to export 2,450 metric tonnes of the fish ahead of the Durga Puja festival.¡±

During the Pujo rituals, they offer it to goddess Durga. Traditionally, the last day of the hilsa-eating season is Dashami and Bengalis sign off on their dish after offering to the goddess.

According to Zeezest, the different recipes have emerged from the Bangladeshi village or district where almost every Bengali family have their special touch on the recipes. Hilsa or Ilish or rohu is prepared in many ways including ilish bhaja (fried Hilsa pieces) and ilisher paturi (steamed Hilsa in mustard sauce) to ilish machher tel jhol (Hilsa curry made with vegetables and potatoes) and Shorshe Ilish (Hilsa in mustard gravy).

About Hilsa fish

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Hilsa or Tenualosa ilisha is an anadromous fish that spends most of its life in the ocean but moves towards the estuary during the rainy season. It is the place where the rivers of Indian Bangladesh meet the Bay of Bengal.

The story around the clean water fish includes that it travels farthest upstream and has the best combination of the flavours of the sea and the river. The price of Hilsa touched around Rs 1,500 a kilo, up from Rs 1,000 last year.

Asim Kumar Nath, researcher, told The Tribune, ¡°The water of the Meghna estuary in Bangladesh is ideal for hilsa to breed. The fish continues to move upstream to reach the Padma.¡±

Why is there a shortage of Hilsa?

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Overconsumption resulted in the decline of Hilsa fish in the Bay of Bengal region. mechanised trawlers have destroyed the food of the Hilsa which are zooplanktons, and phytoplanktons and caused damage to the ecosystem.

Scientists also suggest the reason behind the decline is also the huge demand for fish throughout the year. According to the India Today report, ¡°after the ban on the breeding period (April to June) is lifted, fishermen net in whatever fish they can, with a total disregard for the cap on mesh size. Catch of juvenile Hilsa (weighing 300-400g) is coming in the way of the fish growing and breeding, which is why the fish population is on the wane.¡±

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