Around 100 tonnes of hilsa were sold from Friday night to Saturday morning as a nightlong Hilsa fair was held under the Hashamdia Flyover in Bhanga municipality of Faridpur district.
A huge crowd of buyers from nearby upazilas were seen in the fair as a 22-day nationwide ban on hilsa fishing began from Saturday midnight to protect mother hilsa during breeding season.
The ban will remain in force until October 26.
Despite limited supply, prices remained within buyers' reach, according to several customers and vendors.
Some traders said there were more buyers than fish but the prices didn’t rise unfairly.
Hilsa was being sold at prices Tk 100–200 lower per kg than regular market rates.
One kg-sized Hilsa was priced between Tk 2,000 and Tk 2,200, 500-gram-sized Hilsa fetched Tk 800–1,000 per kg and 250-gram-sized Hilsa sold for Tk 550–600 per kg.
Locals said the fair is held once a year on the eve of the government’s annual Hilsa conservation ban.
Vendors including Naran Dutta, Haran Saha and Zakir Hossain said the overall supply was lower than last year but prices stayed relatively stable.