Ilish Fishy Business: Why Abundant Supply Is Not Bringing Hilsa Prices Down

The hilsa season is in full swing. Full trawlers are docking with glistening, wide-bellied hilsa (also known famously as 'Ilish'), yet buyers at local fish markets are stunned at the prices. Despite the flood of supply, the cost of this prized fish remains stubbornly high, leading many to wonder, where are all the fish going, and why isn’t the price falling? (News18 Bengali)

Fishermen returning from the deep sea are unloading tons of hilsa at coastal ports, but the retail market tells a different story. In Kolkata’s markets and beyond, hilsa prices have reached a level where many middle-class consumers are forced to walk away. Fish weighing 500-600 grams is selling for Rs 700-800, while hilsa in the 800-900 gram range now fetches over Rs 1,200. A 1-kg fish is priced around Rs 1,600, and if you're eyeing 2kg of the so-called "royal hilsa", expect to pay Rs 4,000. (News18 Bengali)

According to Bijan Maiti, Secretary of the Kakdwip Fisherman Welfare Association, part of the answer lies in post-catch storage. "When a large volume of fish arrives, wholesalers store the hilsa in cold storages in Diamond Harbour and Kolkata. They release the stock gradually to keep prices high. This is exactly what’s happening now," he said. (News18 Bengali)

Repeated cyclones and high sea warnings kept fishing vessels docked for days on end. Deputy Director of Fisheries, Surjit Bagh, confirmed that while the season has produced a good haul, fishermen haven’t been able to venture out consistently. "Bad weather forced many to return mid-journey. The catch has been good, but the number of fishing days was far fewer. This led to financial losses for fishermen, which is now impacting pricing downstream," he explained. (News18 Bengali)

Fish that were once an affordable luxury are now nearly out of reach for middle-class consumers. There’s also a sharp divide between different varieties of hilsa flooding the market. While Bengali hilsa continues to command steep prices, between Rs 1,600-2,500 per kg for fish over 1 kg, the cheaper alternative comes from the western coast. (News18 Bengali)

Known as "Bombay hilsa", these fish, sourced from Mumbai, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, are selling for just Rs 800 per kg. Though they are different in taste and texture, Bombay hilsa is full of eggs and has gained traction among buyers specifically looking for roe-rich fish. For many, this is a compromise worth making. But traditionalists argue that nothing compares to the aroma and flavour of authentic Padma or Ganga hilsa. (News18 Bengali)

Meanwhile, fishermen's unions are calling on the government to step in. "We bring the fish in, but we don’t control the prices. As soon as the hilsa is offloaded, it goes straight to storage. If the government oversaw distribution and pricing, the market would be more stable," said one trawler operator at Kolkata's Nagendra Bazar. (News18 Bengali)

At ground level, however, the reality remains stark. Prices continue to rise, storage remains opaque, and the average consumer is left clutching an empty wallet, and no fish. (News18 Bengali)