20.01.

2023

Hilsa Fisheries
Part 1

By
Sumaiya Binte Ayesha
Lecturer
Department of Fisheries Management
 20.01.2023

Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha)

֎King of fish
֎national fish of Bangladesh
֎largest single species fishery in
the country
֎Geographical Indicator (GI)
product
A geographical indication  is a sign used on goods 
having a specific geographical origin and possess qualities,
reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to 
that place of origin.
 20.01.2023
 Hilsa shad, Tenualosa ilisha (Indian Shad) is a renewable resource.
 The “national fish” and “king of fish” of Bangladesh has also been declared as
Geographical indicator (GI) product of Bangladesh.
 It comprises the largest single species fishery in the country and contributes
significantly to national fish production, employment and economic return.
 The catch of this species is about 12.22% of the total annual fish production of the
country (DoF, 2022).
 Hilsa lives in Freshwater (rivers), brackish water (estuaries and coastal waters) and
marine habitats (seas).
 The hilsa fishery provides livelihood to about 2.5 million people of the country
directly or indirectly.
 The fish is diadromous, capable of withstanding a wide range of salinity and
travelling upstream for spawning.
 The fish is intensively harvested during the spawning season on spawning grounds
when they are concentrated to particular areas and very vulnerable to fishing gears.
 Thus most of them do not get a chance to spawn.
Lives in: 20.01.2023
 Freshwater (rivers)
 Brackish water (estuaries & coastal waters)
 Marine habitats (seas)

National Fish production Employment Economic return

• 12.22% of total fish • Provide livelihood • GDP = more than 1%
production of to about 2.5 million
Bangladesh people
• 5lacdirectly
• 20-25 lac indirectly
 20.01.2023

Distribution of Hilsa
☺ Hilsa inhabits a wide range of environments  such as the
marine, estuarine and riverine.
In the seas, it’s  The riverine habitat covers-
 The Satil Arab, the Tigris
distribution extends from- and Euphrates of Iran and
The Persian Gulf Iraq,
The Red Sea  The Indus of Pakistan,
 The rivers of eastern and
The Arabian Sea
western India
The Bay of Bengal,  The Irabaty of Myanmar
and  The Padma, the Jamuna, the
Meghna, and other coastal
The China Sea
rivers of Bangladesh
 Species Composition
20.01.2023

• There are 5 species of Tenualosa:

1. Tenualosa ilisha (ilish of Bangladesh) distributed from Burma to the Arabian
Gulf the most widespread and best studied species; abundantly caught in
Bangladesh
2. Tenualosa toli  is presently occurring in Malaysian waters, although previously
occurred in small numbers in Bangladesh,
3. Tenualosa macrura occurs in coastal waters of Indonesia and Malaysia,
4. Tenualosa reevesi very rarely occurs in southern China, and
5. Tenualosa thibaudeaui  in Mekong river of Vietnam and Laos.
 Species of Ilish in Bangladesh
20.01.2023

• 3 sp.  available  in the A

waters of Bangladesh

A.Tenualosa ilisha (Hilsa

Shad) B
B.Tenualosa toli (Chandana
Ilish; Toli Shad)
C. Hilsa Kelee (Kelee Shad)
C
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Migratory characteristics of Hilsa

Hilsa lives and grows in the  sea and migrates  upstream to
the rivers for breeding.
After breeding,  swim back to the  sea for which it is
known as    diadromous.
When the hatchling grows to  juveniles, the also migrate to
sea for  maturation.
Attain maturity  in  one or two years.
Females grow faster and bigger than males.
20.01.2023
Spent:
Male or female fish after spawning, where the
gonads have released their sperm or eggs
Migration Pattern

Denatent: Carried by water current

Contranatent: Against the water current
 20.01.2023

Food habit of Hilsa

 Plankton feeder
 Prefer  Zooplankton  early life stages.
 Shift their preference toward  phytoplankton  specially diatoms with growth.
• In a study, the gut content of hilsa was composed of:
• Algae (57.01%)
• Sand and debris (36.28%)
• Rotifers (3.19%)
• Crustaceans (1.89%)
• Protozoans (1.22%)
• Miscellaneous (0.41%)