In nature’s fury an irony persists. At a time when heavy showers in north Bengal have triggered landslides and disrupted livelihoods, fishermen in south Bengal are considering it a precursor to a good monsoon that would lead to a better yield of the state’s most sought-after fish — the hilsa.

After the annual mandatory ban from April 15 to help the hilsa breed, deep marine fishing resumed on June 15 and fishermen returned with the first lot of their
catch of the prized fish on Friday.

Fishermen claim that the hilsa’s quality and size this time are satisfactory, and say this heralds a good catch.

“As the north witnessed heavy rainfall this time, we expect heavy downpours in south Bengal. This would mean the hilsas would be of better quality and quantity. As
the rainwater flows downstream, it will help reduce the salinity in river estuaries and produce better-quality fish,” said Satinath Patra, secretary of the Sunderbans’
Samudrik Matsyojibi Shramik Union.

Bengalis have an emotional attachment to the hilsa or ilish, and during the peak season the price shoots up to ₹2,000-2,500 a kg, depending on the size and quality of the fish.

After the monsoon hit north Bengal on June 3, most of the state’s northern districts witnessed heavy downpours. So did Sikkim, where the rain triggered landslides. A swollen Teesta carved out a portion of NH10, which connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri and the rest of the nation.

A source in the Met office said that from June 1 to June 22, five north Bengal districts, including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar, witnessed an additional 36 per cent to 180 per cent rainfall compared with previous years.

Multiple sources in the fisheries department confirmed that heavy rain in the (southern) region where the hilsa breeds helps better production of the fish because the salinity level in the river water near the estuary drops.

“Hilsa is a deep marine fish but moves towards the estuary in search of ‘sweet water’ to lay eggs,” said Surajit Kumar Baag, the assistant director of fisheries (marine), in South 24 Parganas.

“As the hilsa loves sweet water, heavy rainfall in its breeding sites helps produce better fish. When rainfall helps lower the salinity of the water, the hilsa tastes better. A heavy downpour does a world of good to the quality of the fish.”

The estuaries and connected river systems that flow into the Bay of Bengal contribute 90 per cent of the hilsa catch in the country. Annually, Bengal’s fishermen catch around 25,000 tonnes hilsa.

Malay Mukhopadhyay, a river researcher and a retired geography professor who was formerly at Visva-Bharati, said: “Heavy rainfall certainly helps minimise the salinity, and subsequently fishermen have a good hilsa catch.”

Jagannath Sarkar, secretary of the Diamond Harbour wholesale fish market, said the first lot of around 3,000kg hilsa reached the market on Friday evening and the quality of the fish looked good.

“Depending on the size and quality, the fish would fetch something between ₹1,000 and ₹1,400 a kg,” he said.