July, August, and September are considered the peak months for hilsa. Two-thirds of the total annual hilsa harvest occurs in the rivers of the southern region during this period. According to the Department of Fisheries, hilsa production across the country has been declining for the past three years. In the first two months of 2025’s peak season—July and August—the catch in the Barisal division fell 27 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

Department of Fisheries data shows that in July and August this year, the Barisal division recorded a hilsa harvest of 29,519.46 tons. In the same period last year, 40,291.24 tons were caught. This represents a decrease of 10,771.78 tons, or 27 percent, in the first two months of the season compared with last year. As a result, concerns are rising about a possible decline in the annual catch.

Until July 23, 2024, fishing for hilsa at sea was prohibited. However, that ban was not in place in 2025. Yet, even with combined river and sea harvest, the total this year remains significantly lower than last year.

The Department of Fisheries’ latest data indicates that hilsa production has been declining consecutively over the past two years. In FY 2023-24, the catch was about 41,855 tons less than the previous year. In 2023-24, a total of 529,487 tons were harvested, including 248,414 tons from rivers, 455 tons from rivers in the Sundarbans area, and 280,918 tons from the sea. In FY 2022-23, the total catch was 571,342 tons, with 270,885 tons from rivers, 445 tons from rivers in the Sundarbans, and 300,012 tons from the sea. The overall figures for FY 2024-25 have not yet been compiled. However, given last year’s shortage, the harvest is expected to be even lower.

In the three years prior, the hilsa harvest had increased slightly compared with the previous year. In 2021-22, a total of 566,000 tons were harvested; in 2020-21, 565,000 tons; in 2019-20, a total of 550,000 tons; and in 2018-19, 532,000 tons. Reviewing production in previous fiscal years, there is concern that this year’s hilsa output could hit a historic low.

Meanwhile, across the Barisal division, hilsa prices are now beyond the reach of most buyers. Even during the peak season, supply remains low. At the same time, syndicate control over the market is stronger than at any previous period.

Data from the past five years show that hilsa production in the Barisal division increased consecutively in the first four years, but in FY 2023-24, output fell by 23,509 tons compared with the previous year. Production that year totaled 348,834 tons. In 2022-23, production was 372,343 tons. In 2021-22, a total of 369,851 tons were harvested; in 2020-21, a total of 369,301 tons; and in 2019-20, a total of 357,987 tons of hilsa were harvested.

Visiting one of Barisal’s major hilsa markets on Port Road, only a small number of fish had arrived. Traders there said that the price for a one-kilogram hilsa has risen to BDT 2,350. At retail, prices reach BDT 2,500 to 3,000. Reports indicate that hilsa weighing more than one kilogram is selling for BDT 4,000.

Barisal’s Hizla Upazila fisheries officer Mohammad Alam told Bonik Barta, “This is normally the most suitable time during the monsoon to catch hilsa. But this year, even with rain and high tides, supply at the fish landing sites is low. Compared with this period, far more hilsa were caught last year.”

Markets across the Barisal division—including Patharghata in Barguna, Mahipur-Alipur in Patuakhali, and Char Fasson in Bhola—show a similar picture. Very few hilsa are arriving at the auction sites, and the ones that do arrive are being sold at unusually high prices. On Tuesday, Masud Sikder, Manager of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) in Patharghata, said only 556 kilograms of hilsa were sold that day, with each one-kilogram fish priced at BDT 3,000.

Traders said that adverse weather is preventing trawlers from going out to sea. Fishermen are able to go to the rivers only in a limited capacity. Additionally, 2024’s overfishing of juveniles with banned nets has further affected this year’s production.

Md Alfaz Uddin Shaikh, Barisal Divisional Director of the Department of Fisheries, said, “Hilsa generally migrate from the sea to rivers to lay eggs. More fish usually enter the rivers starting in July, which marks the peak season. However, fewer hilsa may be caught this year. This is compounded by market demand, transportation costs, and manipulations by unscrupulous traders.”

Experts say that although hilsa is naturally produced, it is now the most expensive fish in the country. Yet the fishermen who catch it with sweat and hard labor earn only a small amount. Middlemen syndicates are pocketing the profits. It is time to implement effective policies and increase oversight regarding hilsa.

Sources report that in Patharghata, Barguna, several sea-going wooden trawlers were suddenly modified nearly three years ago. They were converted in the style of industrial vessels (trawling boats). Many became interested in this method because it allowed them to catch more fish. Over time, the number of these trawling boats grew to 48. However, these vessels pose a significant threat to marine fish resources. The shallow nets they use catch fish roe and eggs, destroying the fish stock.

It is reported that fishing with trawling boats occurs not only in Patharghata but also across Mahipur-Alipur in Kalapara Upazila, Patuakhali, and Bhola, involving roughly 300 boats. Among them, 35 ordinary boats at the Patuakhali Mahipur-Alipur fisheries landing site and 90 boats in Bhola have been confirmed converted into trawling vessels.

Trawling boats for deep-sea fishing are constructed according to the designs of the Department of Shipping and must be registered with the Department of Marine Fisheries. Nets are deployed and retrieved mechanically, using advanced devices. A primary registration condition is that nets must be cast at depths exceeding 40 meters. Disregarding these rules, wooden trawlers used for hilsa fishing along the southern coast are being fitted with trawling equipment locally. Each trawler incurs a cost of BDT 3–3.5 million. These vessels now catch fish by dragging nets through six to seven meters of water.

Patharghata, on the Bay of Bengal coast, is the country’s second-largest fish landing center, with 210 sea-going trawlers. Three years ago, “Masum Company” first installed trawling equipment on two of its wooden trawlers, multiplying their catch. Since then, more and more such trawlers have been added.

Biplob Kumar, the Marketing Officer at the Patharghata fish landing center, said, “For authorized trawlers, there is a requirement to deploy nets at a minimum depth of 40 meters. This ensures that the lower part of the net reaches deeper into the seabed. Locally built trawlers, however, do not let the nets go deeper than eight meters. At this depth, fish eggs and roe are present in the water. When their prohibited nets are used, the eggs and roe are caught along with the fish. This causes significant damage.”

Biplob Kumar, who is also a fellow in coastal fisheries research, said, “When these nets are dragged, all types of aquatic plants and mollusks get entangled. This destroys the fish’s food sources. Fish naturally move to other areas if there is a food shortage. Due to this scarcity, the tuna population along the Patharghata coast has declined compared to before.”

Siddik Fakir, a fisherman from the Khajura area of Kuakata in Patuakhali, said, “Fishermen who catch fish in the open sea are facing losses because they cannot find fish. Trawling boats are responsible for this. Unless these boats are stopped, the sea will be left empty of fish.”

A fisherman named Abu Hanif Khan said, “Trawling boats are catching fish indiscriminately, so it is now difficult to find fish in the sea. This mechanical method catches all species and sizes of fish. Large fish are kept, while smaller fish are thrown back into the sea.”

Rezaul Karim Forkan, General Secretary of the fisheries workers’ association and a fish trader at Barisal Port Road, said, “Currently, there is practically no hilsa. Whatever arrives is all juvenile fish. Trawlers are removing all eggs from the sea, which is reducing the fish population.”

Md Emdadullah, Director of the Hilsa Resource Development and Management Project, said, “These boats (trawling) are now a major threat to marine fisheries and biodiversity. They destroy everything beneath the water. The closure process is stuck in legal complications created by fish traders. They obtained licenses for Behendi nets and installed them on trawling boats. After that, they filed a petition seeking legal recognition for these vessels. Nothing can be done until the petition is resolved.”

He added, “The only way to stop these vessels is to seize and later destroy them. But due to their large size, there is no space to keep them after seizure. The maximum fine in an operation is BDT 100,000. Because the profits are many times higher, fish traders willingly accept this fine.” He noted that there are approximately 300 illegal trawlers across the country. The problem began in Patharghata and later spread to Bhola, Kuakata, and the fish landing centers at Banshkhali and Hatiya in Chattogram.