Pollution hits Kolaghat hilsa

9 August 2011

biswabrata goswami
KOLAGHAT, 9 AUG: The city may have got their plates full with delicious hilsa this season, but they are missing out on the much sought-after Kolaghat special. Pollution in the Rupnarayan river and monsoon troughs are not enticing the hilsas to come ashore.
Mr Surojit Bag, additional director of fisheries (marine), said owing to frequent depression and cyclonic conditions in the Bay of Bengal, the fishermen, who venture deep into the sea, had no option but to stay anchored. "Moreover, this time the onset of monsoon was not accompanied by any easterly breeze ~ which is responsible for diverting the shoals of Hilsa to move from the sea to the river for the purpose of breeding," Mr Bag said.
The Kolaghat hilsas are supposed to be the most delectable. Fish connoisseurs believe the smell and taste of the Kolaghat hilsas is much better than Padma or Ganga hilsa. But the sorry state of the market says much about its availability this year and, to top it all, some sellers are cashing in on the Digha hilsa by passing them off as the Kolaghat variety.
The scarcity has also affected fishermen from Kolaghat. Having taken hefty loans to prepare special nylon fishing nets for the hilsa season, the scarcity of the silver-fins till date has left them in debt.
“Pollution caused by fly-ash and oily by-products of Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant in the Rupnarayan river is taking its toll. Besides, the weather has not been favourable yet, due to which hilsas are not appearing in the Rupnarayan,” said Mr Sukanta Das, a fisherman in the Kolaghat station market.
“We are compelled to sell inferior varieties for Rs 150 to Rs 200 per kg as they have the maximum takers. But we’re losing out a lot on the Kolaghat variety which were the most high-priced ones,” said Mr Bikash Maity, a fish-seller.
Concerned over the amount of small-size hilsas swamping the markets, Mr Bag said?: “We will conduct raids in every market within a few days and all small-size hilsas would be seized from the traders. And those who are responsible for selling small-size hilsas will be penalised.”
Last year the fisheries department had relaxed  fishing rules to some extent as the Bangladesh government had stopped exporting hilsa to its neighbouring countries. But, from this year, the fisheries department has imposed strict restriction from early catching of hilsas which are less than 500 gm.
Reports from various fish markets in Midnapore East district reveals hilsas weighing between 750 and 1.2 kg are selling at Rs 280 to Rs 300 a kg while those weighing between 500 and 750 grams are being offered at Rs 200 to Rs 250. The price of hilsas, weighing between 250 and 350 grams, is between Rs 100 and Rs 120 in the retail market. Fisheries officials hope that prices could go down by about Rs 50 to Rs 100 when hilsas from Digha and Frezuregunj arrive in the markets.