(BSS) - Fisherman Alamgir Majhi has struck a rare windfall in the Bay of Bengal, netting around 2,200 hilsa in a single haul and earning Taka 48 lakh from their sale.

The large catch was made in the deep sea near Payra Port. Alamgir, along with 16 other fishermen, was fishing aboard the trawler FB Junaid when a single pull of the net brought in the huge haul of hilsa weighing a total of 46 maunds.

The fish were brought to the Monowara Fish depot at Mahipur Fish Landing Centre on Friday afternoon for sale.

The unusually large catch drew a crowd of curious local residents and wholesale fish traders.

In an open auction, 24 maunds of large-sized hilsa were sold for Taka 27.60 lakh, while another 22 maunds of medium-sized hilsa fetched Taka 20.90 lakh.

Alamgir, skipper of FB Junaid, said they had cast their net near Payra Port on Thursday with 16 fishermen aboard.

“We got 2,200 pieces of hilsa in just one haul. It has been about five years since we caught such a large consignment of fish at once. After suffering losses for a long time, we are very happy to get such a catch,” he said.

Sagir Akon, manager of Monowara Fish, said such a large consignment of hilsa had arrived at the market after a long time.

“Fish prices are currently good, so the fishermen received fair prices for their catch. Normally, it is rare to get such a large quantity of hilsa at one time,” he said.

Regarding the current fishing situation in the sea, Kola Para Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Apu Saha told BSS that hilsa catches had improved significantly after a recent spell of scarcity.

“Until a few days ago, there was a shortage of hilsa in the sea. But now fishermen are catching hilsa in large numbers.

The catch of 46 maunds in a single trip has raised new hopes among coastal fishermen,” he said.

Saha added that if rainfall continues, hilsa catches are expected to increase further, benefiting fishermen, fish traders and other stakeholders involved in the sector.