In praise of Hilsha

One of the most favourite dishes, if not the most, of the Bangalees is certainly Hilsha. Normally the fish has the wide sea in this part of the world as their roaming underwater territory. But they do visit the rivers opening to the Bay of Bengal for laying eggs. In that behaviour they have a striking similarity with Salmon which traverse thousands of miles of turbulent sea to reach their destinations -usually shallow streams. So there are differences as well because Salmons lay eggs in shallow streams only to die soon afterward. But Hilsha go back into deep water.
If Salmon's eggs make the highly prized caviar, a food item favoured by people in the Western world, Hilsha enjoys similar or more demand from people in the subcontinent, particularly from the Bangalees in Bangladesh and Paschimbango.
It is against this backdrop, they look forward to heavy catches of the species in the rainy season, their breeding period. But this year the month of Shraban was a lean catching patch for fishermen. Trawlers in the coastal waters were counting losses because of poor catch. The scarcity continued till mid-Bhadra. This was rather unusual and most pundits were making dire predictions about the drop in Hilsha catches. They even found a close relationship between this declining catch and the deteriorating climate. All this was happening at a time when the country had been guaranteed a sovereign right over a vast area of the Bay of Bengal.
However, things started changing with fishermen reporting huge catches in the Bay. So abundant were Hilshas suddenly that the price fell as low as half its level a week earlier. Now fishermen started rejoicing over the increased catches and consumers, particularly those with small purses, were delighted to take home the king of fish. Naturally for a few it was no less than a festive occasion to celebrate.
Now fish vendors are seen ubiquitously almost everywhere in the city. They try to draw customer's attention from all corners of the street or footpath. At times their offer is damn cheap -indeed too good to believe. But not all feel tempted to respond because there is always a suspicion that the quality of their 'silvery beauties' may not be as good as the ones available from fishmongers in the market. The advantage of complaining to permanent fish traders in the market is there -albeit not all can apply this to their advantage. But certainly some can. When one purchases fish from a fish vendor who has no permanent place to sit on, there is always the risk of getting cheated.
Well, this may not be the case all the time. In some rare cases, one is surprised to see one's luck. Indeed the purchase has been beyond expectation. Fishmongers would tell you how good the ones they have brought to satisfy your taste buds. But these days rarely do the fish match the taste and smell of yester years. At times a customer is enlightened by a fishmonger who reveals confidentially that a smaller size called 'Narkoli Elish' (coconut Hilsha, if you please) is better than the bigger ones. It proves right. And a customer looks for the type in the market. But for months there is none of the type. Then one fine morning, the fishmonger beacons at the customer and offer the desired fish. Maybe, the price is a little on the higher side but it is worth the price. The fishmonger has not been off target.
The fact is the Banglaees cannot think of his dining table without Hilsha at least for a few days when the fish is at its most aromatic. This year there was an apprehension that things would be bad for Hilsha lovers but for the plenty of late catches that apprehension has dissipated. Long live Hilsha! But it must be allowed to live long. A ban on Hilsha catching for a short period has produced good results. Let it be enforced more efficiently and extensively.