The delicious deep sea fish, once found in plenty and an export earner, no more comes in shoals to Bangladesh costs and estuaries of Meghna, Bishkhali, Bura Gouranga, Paira, Darchirra rivers mainly because of low water depth.

The areas have become silted over the years, fishermen and other sources said.

There are places in the estuaries where the depth of water is only five feet during low tide, they said.

So Hilsha fishes now goes to Myanmar and West Bengal coasts, they said.

Scores of fishing trawlers and boats are now anchored at ports in Barisal and other fishing zones after fishermen's futile attempts to net the fish in the Bay and the estuaries.

Fishermen, traders and ice factory owners are passing hard days and many of them are worried how to repay the loans taken from aratdars (fish merchants).

The very few Hilshas netted luckily are sold at exorbitant prices at the Barisal wholesale market.

A medium size Hilsha is being sold at between Tk 350 and Tk 400 per kilogram now.

It is unbelievable that a Hilsha weighing 1. 50 kg to 2 kg is being sold at Tk 600 to Tk. 700 each, a buyer said in a market.

Most of the wholesalers are sitting idle because bulk quantities are virtually not available.

They said several thousand fishermen are passing idle days at fishing ports in the coastal areas and the southern region.

This correspondent during a recent visit found the Hilsha market at Barisal Port Road area virtually deserted. This is the biggest whole sale fish market in the region.

Abul Kalam, a fish trader, said in the last two weeks, few boats with very small quantities of Hilsha anchored at the port.

Now big, medium and small size Hilsha fishes are sold in the wholesale market at Tk 16000, Tk 9100, and Tk. 5200 per mound respectively against Tk 9000, Tk 6000-6500, and Tk 3600 two weeks before, Abul Kalam said.

Rough sea is another factor, he added.

If this continues, many will leave the profession, he said.

Fishermen sources said, they are to spend Tk 25, 000 to 30,000 per week per trawler for fishing either in the sea or in the Meghna.

Even the expenditure can not be met with the small catches, they said.

Wholesale trader Zamal Hossain said he gave Tk 3 lakh dadon (loans to fishermen on buy back contract). He is now worried about the money, not to speak of profit from the trade.

Most of the 22 ice factories at the port are now closed because the very small quantities arriving do not need ice for packing.