Hilsa: The Fish That Is Being Loved To Death

08 Nov,2023

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Indian history narrates that Hilsa became famous among fish lovers much before Bengalis considered picking it as their darling fish. Hilsa was called the “King of Fish” or Matsyaraja in ancient times. Hilsa is the National Fish of Bangladesh. 

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What history narrates about Hilsa fish?

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Current Production Status of Hilsa

Currently, 11 countries produce Hilsa fish. The countries are India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Thailand, Kuwait, Bahrain, & Indonesia. Among them, Bangladesh tops the chart in sourcing the highest quantity of Hilsa fish. 

The average-sized Hilsa can be from 50cm to 3 kg. In Myanmar, the average Hilsa fish weight measures between 300 gms to 500 gms. But it’s surprising that the biggest Hilsa fish ever caught is 614 mm long and 614 mm wide. The weight of the biggest Hilsa was 4250 gms. The largest Hilsa got sourced from Tapti Estuary, Gujarat.

Largest Hilsa: Where was it found?

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The Indian mythology claims that Lord Vishnu’s first Avatar was “Matsya Avatar.” He appeared in this Avatar to save people from a devastating flood. Many feel that the Avatar was the form of Hilsa fish as per the description mentioned in the mythology. 

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The Avatar: Hilsa in Indian Mythology

Health professionals often mention that Hilsa Fish comes with all necessary health benefits. The fish is rich in protein, calcium, Omega-3, and fatty acid. 

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Health Benefits Of Hilsa Fish:

But commercial trawlers catch them with purse seine nets - a large circular wall of net which goes down very deep to scoop up fish of all sizes.

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The fish is known as Tenualosa ilisha, ilish, hilsa, and jatka. Apart from Bengalis, people from Assam & Odisa also call this fish Ilish. 

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Those fish that do reach the rivers are caught by small-scale fishermen with very fine gill nets which trap even the youngest fish.