Is the delicious hilsa (ilishi) on its way out? With the yield not being encouraging, the price escalation of the fish has made it out of reach of the common people. One can rarely find hilsa in the fish markets of Kendrapada now –a-days where hilsa of a kg or more size is sold at Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200. Depending on the hilsa size, the price goes high, informed Orissa Fishermen Federation leader Narayan Haldar. “The drop in the yield is unprecedented this year. Never before, had the hilsa catch fallen to such a low level. Those who had pinned their hope on bountiful catch are left thoroughly disappointed this time,” informed Haldar. During the hilsa season that generally ends with the Vishwakarma Puja, there should be a bumper catch, but strangely the catch fell drastically. In last two weeks, the hilsa catch has not only gone down, but the fish is found in small size. Generally, during the low pressure, the fishermen used to catch abundant hilsa at the confluence of river mouth of the Mahanadi and Bay of Bengal. But due to irregular rain and occasional excess rain in the ongoing monsoon season, the hilsa catch has been affected.
