Rajshahi's tryst with ilish: Once on every plate, now being sold by piece
The move – the first of its kind in the country – was made to ensure that people from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds could also enjoy the delicacy
Mojibur Rahman Dulal, a resident of Rajshahi, inspects a few pieces of the prized ilish fish.
"I can't buy an entire ilish. That's why I've bought five pieces for the five members of my family for Tk500," Mojibur says.
A kilogramme would cost Tk1,400 on average for the same fish.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Amid the spiralling price of ilish, traders in Rajshahi began selling the fish in pieces following a decision made by the Rajshahi Fish Traders Coordination Council.
The move – the first of its kind in the country – was made to ensure that people from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds could also enjoy the delicacy, especially ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations.
The sales were seen in the city's Shaheb Bazar fish market from 11am this morning.
Customers were buying one, three or five pieces. Leaders of the fish traders council hoped that other fish markets in the district would also do the same in the coming days.
For customers like Dulal, this novel concept was a far cry from the heydays of the ilish market.
Afterall, Rajshahi was once a hub for the fish, considered the national fish of the country.
When it rained silver
Till the 1970s, the abundance of ilish made it a commodity not reserved for special occasions only.
All the markets of Rajshahi were full of newly-captured ilish of all sizes from the Padma.
Everyone could afford to enjoy the delicacy on a regular basis.
This was, however, no longer the case once the Farakka Dam was built on the upstream of Padma.
Since then, the availability of the fish has dwindled to almost zero.
Even during the Pakistan period, ilish and its eggs used to travel upstream from the Bay of Bengal through Rajshahi to Bhagalpur.
In fact, residents of Pabna also recall enjoying the fish in water bodies connected to the Padma.
Back in Rajshahi, the abundance was enjoyed till around 1975.
Then slowly, the fish disappeared. As prices soared, the fish began to disappear from plates across the district.
Speaking to The Business Standard, marine expert Mahbub Siddiqui recalled the prices back then.
"I bought four ilish weighing 100kg from Rajshahi market even before 1960 for Tk1," he said.
The availability was so high that Siddiqui remembers a reluctance to eat the fish since it was on the menu thrice a week.
At that time, ilish was sold and bought in the markets even in the remote areas of the country. Many used to it from village to village," he said.
Rajshahi University Fisheries Department Professor Dr Yamin Hossain said once enough Ilish was available in different rivers of the country.
The Padma's ones were unique owing to their large size and taste.
"But the days of big ilish are gone. The current ones barely match up in taste. The Illish can still be found in rivers such as Meghna, Jamuna, Surma and Kushiara but not in Padma. This is because Padma has lost its natural form. To bring Illish back to the Padma, the drought or navigability of this river must be brought back," he said.
He also said a part of the Padma river, where mother ilish can be found, is now in India. That's why big Illish was no longer available.
Experts have recommended increasing the depth of the Padma as a possible way to revive the ilish fortune of the past.
Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer of Charghat Wali Ullah Mollah told TBS, "I have been here for three years. At that time, the most ilish have been caught this year, but they are quite small."
Back to the present
In Rajshahi's Shaheb Bazar, there's still a sense of festivity.
For many, it's a comeback on the menu for the fish after many years.
Speaking to TBS, General Secretary of Rajshahi Fish Traders Coordination Council Sekandar Ali said, "If Illish is sold in pieces, everyone will be able to eat it. That's why we have taken this decision after consulting the fisheries leaders.
"A total of five ilish have already been sold within a very short time after the inauguration of the initiative," Sekandar added.
At the market, the weight of the fish is also lessened by removing the intestines. Traders have been given the option to cover any loss because of this through tweaking the prices.
Retailers, however, have brought up a number of issues they have faced due to selling by piece.
"Although the weight of a fish gets reduced due to removal of intestines, we are still getting prices according to their weight. Some customers are also not interested in buying the tails or the heads of the fish. As a result, a number of quarrels have broken out," said Md Abu, an ilish trader.
Bishu, another ilish trader, echoed Md Abu.
According to the market prices in Rajshahi, a 300-gram ilish is being sold at Tk600, a 500-gram ilish for Tk1,100, an 800-gram ilish for Tk1,500, and a 1-kilogram ilish for Tk1,600 per kilogramme.
