Bangladesh’s national fish, hilsa, has recorded declining production for two consecutive fiscal years, according to government survey data cited in a report published on July 31, 2026. The Department of Fisheries said output fell from 529,487 tonnes in fiscal year 2023-24 to 500,288 tonnes in 2024-25, a decrease of about 5.5 percent. Officials fear production may decline further in the current fiscal year, with preliminary field information putting output so far near 400,000 tonnes.

Fishers in coastal areas and along routes including the Meghna, Jamuna and Tetulia rivers said catches remain below expectations even during the peak Ashar-Shraban season. Experts cited reduced river navigability, sediment-created shoals, climate change, adverse weather, plastic pollution, excessive harvesting, jatka killing, illegal nets and uncontrolled trawling as combined threats to hilsa stocks and reproduction.

Researchers said fewer large hilsa and a growing presence of small fish in markets signal an imbalance in the species’ population. Sector representatives called for tighter control of industrial trawlers, enforcement of prescribed fishing depths, dredging of rivers and estuaries, plastic-pollution control and coordinated conservation with neighbouring countries.