1.5 kg hilsa found in Barguna pond

A hilsa fish was found in a farmer's pond at Nayapara village under Taltali upazila of Barguna on Monday.

The owner of the pond, Kawsar Hawladar, found the hilsa along with other fish he caught -- farmed in his pond.

He claimed that the hilsa weighed about 1.5 kg. Hilsa is not seen in ponds, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Kawsar cooked and ate the fish with his family on the same day and said it smelled and tasted just like hilsa found in river, he said.

According to locals, as news spread in the area, hundreds of people flocked to see the hilsa found in the pond.

"During monsoon, all the canals and ponds in our area are submerged with seawater," he said, adding that the same happened with his pond. He believes that the hilsa might have gotten into his pond at that time and could not get out.

"Hilsa move to the river when it's time to lay eggs. The fish may have been trapped in the pond as it was submerged in saltwater during monsoon," said Taltali Upazila Fisheries Officer Mahbubul Alam.

Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries, Patuakhali University of Science and Technology, Professor Md Lokman researched on hilsa when he was a scientific officer at the Fisheries Research Centre in Chadampur.

Although hilsa is usually found in saltwater, it migrates into the fresh water of the river to lay eggs.

However, hilsa fish are not accustomed to living in the water of the pond as there is less natural food in the pond, he said.

"Attempts were made to farm hilsa in a pond at Kalapara area in Patuakhali but that did not succeed. However, if the salinity of the pond water can be maintained at the required level, it is possible to produce hilsa commercially there," Lokman said.