The smuggling of hilsa into India has spiked following the new Bangladesh government’s decision to ban export of the prized fish to meet its own domestic demand.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has intercepted multiple attempts to smuggle hilsa into India, with smugglers along the South Bengal border becoming increasingly desperate to supply the fish that is in high demand across Bengali households and restaurants during the festive season.

On September 3, Bangladesh’s ministry of fisheries and livestock announced the export ban, citing a need to keep hilsa affordable for local consumers.

Since then, the BSF personnel in the South Bengal region have thwarted several smuggling attempts, seizing around 63.75 kilos of hilsa to date.

The latest incident occurred on Thursday when a BSF patrol team from the 102nd battalion confiscated 30kg of fish in North 24-Parganas’ Ghojadanga area.

A BSF spokesperson in Calcutta explained: "With the festive season approaching, demand for hilsa is at an all-time high, and we are ensuring that no illegal imports breach the border."

Smuggling activities have intensified as the fish is harder to come by in local markets in Bengal. Due to poor catch this year, local hilsa supplies near Bengal's coastline have dropped significantly. Earlier in August, about 800 trawlers set out to catch the fish off the Bengal coast but returned with only 35 per cent of the expected haul, exacerbating the demand.

Given the current shortage, smugglers have resorted to hiding hilsa in cargo trucks returning from Bangladesh or concealing it in boats navigating riverine stretches. The BSF has ramped up surveillance along these areas to curb this illegal trade.

Bangladesh had previously imposed a similar ban on hilsa exports to India in 2012, again because of low stock and local price control efforts. However, sources suggest that this year's ban may have political motivations, influenced by pressure from anti-India factions within Bangladesh's interim government after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

In an attempt to reverse the ban, Syed Anwar Maqsood, the secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association of Bengal, has written to Bangladesh officials urging them to reconsider the decision. In his letter, he appealed to allow exports of hilsa ahead of Durga Puja, a time when the fish is highly sought-after in Bengal.

The association, which has been importing hilsa from Bangladesh since 1996, hopes for a favorable response from authorities, members have said.

For Bengal's hilsa lovers, however, the gleaming silver fish now seems to be caught between smugglers and the BSF.