Despite political strains, Hilsa rekindles palates without any pocket pinch

Kolkata: Hilsa, or “ilish”—the iconic “king of fish” in Bengali culture, celebrated for its culinary appeal, cultural rituals and even diplomatic symbolism—has made a notable return to Kolkata markets.

This surge comes despite strained India-Bangladesh ties, including asylum issues involving Hasina and the Teesta water-sharing dispute, which have prevented formal imports from Bangladesh so far.

Good-quality Hilsa, ranging from 500 gm to specimens over 2 kg, is now widely available across wholesale hubs like Howrah and retail markets such as Gariahat and Lake Market.

Prices currently hover between Rs 600 to Rs 800/kg for 500gm to 750 gm fish, Rs 900 to Rs 1,400 for up to 1 kg, and above Rs 1,400 for specimens exceeding 1 kg.

State Fisheries minister Biplab Roychowdhury attributed the improved availability to stricter enforcement of the two-month ban on catching small ‘khoka’ Hilsa. “For the last few years, we have strictly imposed a ban on catching small Hilsa for two months and this measure is beginning to yield results. We are actively creating awareness among fishermen so that only larger fish are caught. We hope this trend will continue in the coming years,” he said. Roychowdhury added that extending the ban to three months, as practiced in Bangladesh, could yield even better results.

Catches in 2025 have shown a modest rebound across the Hooghly, Sunderbans, Digha and Diamond Harbour, totaling 10,000–12,000 tonnes—a 15 per cent increase over 2024. Basanta Kumar Das, Director of ICAR-CIFRI, highlighted the role of favorable weather.

“Continuous monsoon and low-pressure rains over the last two and a half months have triggered Hilsa migration from the sea to estuarine zones. High tides during full and new moons have also been key factors,” he explained.

Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Kolkata-based Fish Importers’ Association, said most of the Hilsa currently in the market comes from Gujarat, where there has been a record haul. “Daily imports of 70–80 tonnes are arriving in the state, double the previous average of 30–40 tonnes,” he noted. The Association has also reached out to Bangladeshi exporters for Padma Ilish and expects a response within ten days. Bangladesh, a traditional supplier, usually sends 3,000–5,000 tonnes annually as a goodwill gesture during Durga Puja. However, last year’s request from Bengal for Hilsa was declined.

Local availability of Hilsa has been under pressure in recent years due to overfishing, environmental degradation—including river siltation from dams like Farakka—pollution and climate-driven changes in migration patterns. Local catches in Bengal have sharply declined from around 80,000 tonnes in 2001 to approximately 11,000 tonnes in 2021 in rivers such as the Hooghly.