Spiralling fish prices mount commoners' woes

Fish prices increased further last week despite the end of a three-week-long ban on fishing in major sanctuaries in the country earlier this month.
The government's 22-day fishing ban in major rivers and sanctuaries, especially in the coastal and central regions came to an end on November 4 last.
The ban is imposed every year under the government's 'mother hilsa conservation programme'.
But the end of the ban has not yet helped check the rising trend in fish prices in the post-fishing ban period, augmenting sufferings of the commoners.
Traders said low catch of hilsa and other fishes both in the rivers and sea caused the hike.
Hilsa was sold at Tk 600-1450 per kilogram (kg) based on size and quality on Saturday which was Tk 550-1200 a kg seven days back.
Sweetwater or river fishes like pabda, ruhi, katla, shoul and shrimp witnessed a hike by Tk 50-100 per kg in the week.
Pabda was sold at Tk 650-750 a kg while ruhi at Tk 380-450 a kg depending on size. Cultured pangasea, koi, ruhi, katla also witnessed a Tk-20-a-kg hike.
Cultured ruhi was sold at Tk 240-350 a kg based on size. Traders at the city kitchen markets attributed the fish price hike to low catch both in rivers and sea in the last one month.
Mozammel Hossain, a fish trader at Mohammadpur Agriculture Market, said supply of both hilsa and non-hilsa has declined at wholesale levels in Mawa, Bhairab, Barishal, Chattogram and Patuakhali - the major fish trading hubs in the country.
He said catch of hilsa is also not good for the last one and a half weeks.
Mortuza Khan Montu, a leading fish trader in the city, said normally supply of non-hilsa river fishes increases in November-December period with decline in water level.
But this year it is not happening as most of the rivers are still water saturated following the four-spell flooding which has caused lower catches compared to that in the previous year, he stated.
He also said that collection of hilsa is also not good this year which is another reason behind a surge in prices of all fishes.
He expected that prices of fish might decline in the next month.
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