Fish traders in Jashore have started to earn much needed foreign currency by selling fish scales. Fish scales are sold at a rate of Tk 15 a kg in the fish markets of the district. After some processing, these residual parts of fishes are exported to many south-east Asian countries including China and Japan. According to Export Promotion Bureau statistics, Bangladesh exports fish scales worth Tk 200 crore every year. Fish scales are used to produce batteries, electrical products, artificial cornea and bones, medicines, fish and poultry feed and various cosmetics items. Visiting many fish markets in Jashore, UNB found fish scales in high demand. Besides charging Tk 10 for cutting a 1kg fish, fish cutters of Jashore earn Tk 20,000 extra per month by selling the scales. “Not only scales but we also sell fish galls. Galls are used to produce fish feed, while gills of fishes are used to make soups after drying,” said Md Jahid, a fish cutter. Read more: Bagerhat's Dublar Char abuzz as fish drying season begins Bagerhat's Dublar Char abuzz as fish drying season begins Md Bablu is a warehouse owner who collects fish scales from various fish markets of Jashore on a daily basis. Talking to UNB, Bablu said that he sells fish scales to traders in Chattogram, who then export the item to other countries. “I sell fish scales at a rate of Tk 2500 to Tk 3000 per maund (1 maund = approx. 40kg). The business was first started by a Dhaka-based trader named Shamsul Alam. Fish scales contain chemical components like collagen fibre and amino acid, which are necessary to produce cosmetics items and medicines,” said Bablu. After talking to some traders, UNB learned the process by which fish scales are prepared for selling. First, fish scales are collected and washed in clean or warm water to get rid of oily substances. After washing, wet scales are dried in the open to make them crispy. Some people grind the scales in mixers and sell them as powder. Prices of fish scales vary according to the type and size of fish from which they come.  Scales of big fish are sold at high rates, while those of small fish like shrimp are sold at a different rate. Besides, the prices of fish galls and gills are also different from the prices of scales. According to Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, only 10-12 traders are involved in exporting fish scales. However, around 5,000 people are directly involved with the trade. A total of 2,500 tons of fish scales are exported every year, which brings home foreign currencies worth Tk 200 crore. Read more: Cox’s Bazar fishermen rejoice as Bay swarms with Hilsa Fish scale traders said that their business has the potential to grow more if they receive priority and focus from the government. “I’ll talk to the respective authorities so that fish scale business can be expanded,” said Tamijul Islam Khan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Jashore.

Two fish traders died after a pickup van in which they were travelling crashed into a truck parked along the busy Jhenaidah-Kaliganj highway in Jhenaidah in the early hours of Thursday. The deceased were identified as Ohiduzzaman and Lutfar Rahman, both from Jashore district. Read: Two cousins die in Rajbari road crash The accident occurred around 1.30am when the Jashore-bound pickup van transporting fish from Bogura crashed into the stationary track in Kaliganj, leaving the duo dead on the spot, said Kaliganj Fire Service station manager Sheikh Mamunur Rashid. The bodies were sent to Jashore Sadar Hospital morgue by the police, he added.

Fish traders of Shariatpur, one of the two districts connected by the Padma Bridge, are expecting that their business will boom as the much-awaited bridge opened to traffic on Sunday. The fisheries owners expect new business opportunities with the inauguration of the country’s longest bridge. With the opening  of the Padma Bridge, a dramatic change will take place in the communication system of the entire southern region including Shariatpur. Read: Padma Bridge: Over Tk 2 cr toll collected from vehicles on 1st day The door of potential for the fisheries sector in Shariatpur district, one of the largest fish producers in the country, will be opened, said local traders and fishermen. Fish traders expect that now it will be possible to sell fish worth Tk 500 to Tk 600 crore a year in Dhaka markets. Different fish including hilsa netted from the point of Suresh of the Padma River can be easily sent to at least 40 districts in the country including the capital. This will not only benefit the existing fish producers economically but will also create many new entrepreneurs and huge employment opportunities. According to the District Fisheries Department, there are 15,182 fish farms in 2,626 hectares of land in the district. Fish are transported by road from six upazilas of the district to different parts of the country including Dhaka.

A mobile court on Friday sentenced five fish traders to different jail terms for selling piranha, Australian catfish and using harmful colours in the fish at Kawran Bazar in the capital.