BANGLADESH - The ongoing hilsa season sees a poor netting of the popular fish in the coastal waters, much to the frustration of fishermen and traders.

Fishermen's families are passing hard days as the catches are not sufficient enough even to recover the cost of deep sea trips on trawlers for the purpose.

Over 1,000 fishing trawlers from Patuakhali and Barguna districts got engaged in catching hilsa in the sea and different rivers after the end of ban period of hilsa catching but the catches are much less than expectation.

May to October is generally considered the hilsa catching season in Bangladesh.

Habib Mia, a fisherman of Char Miazan under Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali, said he is now worried about payment of Tk 50,000 that he took as loan from an aratdar (wholesaler) as he is n ... Read more »