Calcutta, Jul 18 (PTI) Fishermen in the Parganas district of southern West Bengal made this year’s first Hilsa strike of around 400 kg in the past two days, an organization official said on Sunday. of fishermen.

Some trawlers from Kakdwip, the state’s largest fishing center, took the net.

“Of the 200 to 250 trawlers venturing into the mouth of the Hooghly River, eight-nine caught around 50 kg of fish each,” said Bijan Maity, secretary general of Kakdwip Matsya Unnayan Samity, the supreme body of the local fishermen and trawler owners. PTI.

Noting that this time of year is a good time to catch Hilsa as the fish swim in the river from the sea to lay eggs, Maity said most of the fish caught weighed between 650 and 800g, while some weighed more than 1 kg.

Maity said fish smaller than 23cm or weighing less than 600g are released into the water.

“We hope that the yield will increase in the coming days due to favorable weather conditions,” he said.

Maity said the number of trawlers venturing into the sea to catch Hilsa has declined by 50%, from around 5,000 in 2018-19 to 2,500 in 2020-2021.

“Hilsa’s transport has dramatically decreased due to several factors such as climate change, frequent cyclones and pollution,” he said.

The rise in the price of diesel has also increased the monthly cost of operating a trawler from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh, Maity said, adding that few people are able to recoup the costs due to lower yield.

In addition to registration, each trawler must have a distress remote sensing device connected to the Coast Guard and may have a maximum of 17 to 18 fishermen on board.

Manturam Pakhira, senior manager of Kakdwip TMC, said many small trawlers are catching little Hilsa, an act banned by both the Center and the state government, and that fishermen are being sensitized to end the the practice of preserving fish.

“It is a challenge because more than 40 percent of the people of Kakdwip depend on fishing in one way or another,” he added. PTI SUS ACD ACD