Hilsa in the Damodar may sound bizarre but at least one trapped in a fisherman’s net has surprised the residents of the land of Mihidana- Sitabhog late this afternoon.
The Hilsa weighing 1 kg, after a quick bidding, was sold at Rs 2,100 at Jamalpur market beside the river in East Burdwan this evening. The area was flooded after the Durgapur Barrage released 2.5 lakh cusecs of flood water recently. The senior Fishery department officials said: “Hilsa is a marine water fish and schools in coastal areas but ascends up the rivers mainly for spawning in sweet water during monsoon. It accidentally came to this stretch of the Damodar as it’s now full of water due to recent flood situations and the river is linked to the Ganga.” Earlier, in the late 1990s, some Hilsa were harvested at Rhondia near Budbud on the further up-stretch of the Damodar.