Ilish
Ilish, Hilsha Fish. | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Clupeiformes |
Family: | Dorosomatidae |
Genus: | Tenualosa |
Species: | T. ilisha
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Binomial name | |
Tenualosa ilisha F. Hamilton, 1822
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Synonyms | |
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The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) (
The world famous hilsha fish comes from Padma River (the main distributary of the Ganges), Bangladesh. As of 2021, 86% of the world's total ilish supply originates in Bangladesh. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1.15% of GDP in Bangladesh. On 6 August 2017, Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries of Bangladesh has declared the recognition of ilish as the product of Bangladesh. As of 2021, 86% of the world's total ilish supply originates in Bangladesh which applied for Geographical indication (GI) in 2004.[5] About 450,000 people are directly involved in the catching of the fish as a large part of their livelihood; around four to five million people are indirectly involved with the trade.[6]
Common names
Other names include jatka,illi, ilish, ellis, palla fish, hilsha, ilih etc. (
Description and habitat
The fish is marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous; depth range? - 200 m. Within a tropical range; 34°N - 5°N, 42°E - 97°E in marine and freshwater. It can grow up to 60 cm in length with weights of up to 3 kg. It is found in rivers and estuaries in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma) and the Persian Gulf area where it can be found in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in and around Iran and southern Iraq.[8] It has no dorsal spines but 18 – 21 dorsal soft rays and anal soft rays. The belly has 30 to 33 scutes. There is a distinct median notch in the upper jaw. Gill rakers fine and numerous, about 100 to 250 on the lower part of the arch and the fins are hyaline. The fish shows a dark blotch behind gill opening, followed by a series of small spots along the flank in juveniles. Color in life, silver shot with gold and purple. The species filter feeds on plankton and by grubbing muddy bottoms.[9] The fish schools in coastal waters and ascends up the rivers (anadromous) for around 50 – 100 km to spawn during the southwest monsoons (June to September) and also in January to April. April is the most fertile month for the breeding of ilish. The young fish returning to the sea are known in Bangladesh as jatka, which includes any ilish fish up to 9 inches long.
Production
The fish is found in 11 countries: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Bangladesh is the top hilsa-producing country in the world, followed by Myanmar and then India.[citation needed]
86 percent of the total hilsa catch is taken in Bangladesh. Production has dropped in the other ten hilsa-producing countries; in Bangladesh, however, production reached 517,000 tons in FY 2017–18, up from 279,189 tons in 2006–07, as a result of a strategy implemented by the Bangladeshi government.[citation needed]
Food value
The fish is popular food amongst the people of
In North America (where ilish is not always readily available) other
In Bangladesh, fish are caught in the
In India,
In Pakistan, most hilsa fish are caught in the Indus River Delta in Sindh. They are also caught in the sea, but some consider the marine stage of the fish as not so tasty. The fish has very sharp and tough bones, making it problematic to eat for some.[citation needed]
Ilish is an
In
Ilish in culture
- In Andhra Pradesh, the saying goes "Pustelu ammi ayina Pulasa tinocchu", meaning roughly "It's worth eating Pulasa/Ilish even if you have to sell your mangala sutra.[17]
- In many Saraswati Puja, which takes place in the beginning of Spring or on the day of Lakshmi Puja (The Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) which takes place in autumn.[18] Some people offer the fish to the goddess Lakshmi, without which the Puja is sometimes thought to be incomplete.
- Ilish is the national fish of Bangladesh.[3]
- In Bengal ilish is also used during wedding as tattwa gift. During Gaye Holud tattwa the family of the groom presents a pair of ilish to the family of the bride. However, due to the scarcity of ilish, nowadays it is often replaced by Rohu in West Bengal, while the tradition continues in Bangladesh.[citation needed]
- In khichudi' (a special way of cooking lentils and rice together with some added herbs). It is popular among all Bengalis during monsoon which is known as the month of ilish. In Bangladesh and West Bengal, ilish is often termed as the 'Queen' of fishes.[citation needed]
- This fish is known as pulasa in Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh State in India. The name Pulasa stays with the fish for a limited period between July-Sept of a year, when floods (muddy) water flow in Godavari River. This time the fish is in high demand and sometimes $100 per kilo.[19][20]
- Hilsha fish called Pallo Machi is important part of Sindhi cuisine, prepared with numerous cooking methods. It can be deep fried and garnished with local spices, can be cooked with onions and potatoes into a traditional fish meal or barbequed. The fish often has roe, which is called "aani" in Sindhi and is enjoyed as a delicacy. Often fried alongside the palla and served with the fish fillets.[21][22][23]
- The rivalry of East Bengal and Mohon Bagan, two football clubs of Kolkata (Calcutta) are celebrated by food. When East Bengal wins, an ilish (hilsha) dish is cooked by the East Bengal supporter. Similarly, when Mohon Bagan wins, a Chingri (Prawn) dish is prepared by the Mohon Bagan supporter.[citation needed]
Overfishing and possible extinction
Due to the demand and popularity of this species,
See also
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Al-Khalaf, K.; Alam, S.; Almukhtar, M.; Bishop, J.; Abdulqader, E.; Alghawzi, Q.; Al-Husaini, M.; Hartmann, S.; Kaymaram, F. (2015). "Tenualosa ilisha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T166442A75259795.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-37559-0
- ^ "State Fishes of India" (PDF). National Fisheries Development Board, Government of India. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Recognition for hilsa". The Daily Star. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Siddique, Abu Bakar. "Country's 6th Ilish sanctuary coming soon". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ Haswell, J. M. (1874). Grammatical Notes and Vocabulary of the Peguan Language. Rangoon: American Mission Press. p. 31.
- ^ Al-Dubakel, A. Y. (2011). "Commercial Fishing and Marketing of Hilsa Shad Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton-Buchanon, 1822) in Basrah -Southern Iraq". Emirates Journal of Food Agriculture. 23 (2). Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Tenualosa ilisha". FishBase.
- ^ "Highway extortion responsible for surge in Ilish prices". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Bioinformatics Centre, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India". Biosearch.in. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ISSN 0970-616X.
- S2CID 4033041.
- S2CID 25883400. Archived from the originalon 5 January 2013.
- ^ "216 easy and tasty hilsa recipes by home cooks". Cookpad. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ Karmakar, Rekha (9 September 2015). "A Fish Lover's Guide To Cooking Hilsa". www.indiafoodnetwork.in. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ "What the fish! Godavari Pulasa selling for Rs 4,000 per kg". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Ilish... a love story". dna. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "What the fish! Godavari Pulasa selling for Rs 4,000 per kg". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Pulasa season starts early". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ Khan, M. Hussain (2 April 2019). "The palla, the shrine, the catch and the cook". Dawn.
- ^ Karmakar, Kalyan (24 April 2018). "10 Reasons to Get Invited to a Sindhi Household for Dinner". NDTV Food.
- ^ Sen, Pritha (9 July 2017). "A fishy fable: If it's monsoon, it must rain hilsas". The Indian Express.
- ^ Dasgupta, Reshmi R. (13 August 2012). "Bengalis are loving Ilish to extinction". The Economic Times.
- ^ a b "Hilsa Fish: অসুস্থ গঙ্গা থেকে মুখ ফিরিয়ে মায়ানমার পাড়ি দিচ্ছে ইলিশের ঝাঁক". anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Mazumdar, Jaideep (1 September 2008). "The Last Ilish Curry". Outlook.
- ^ Moitra, Kalyan (1 July 2002). "Hilsa may soon become endangered: Experts". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Bangladesh's Hilsa Fish Acts as Early Warning of Climate Change". Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ ভ্যাকসিন নেই, তাই ইলিশও নেই! (in Bengali). Deutsche Welle. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
External links
- Hilsa Research in the Bay of Bengal
- Tenualosa ilisha.BdFISH
- "Tenualosa ilisha". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
- Ilish Hut (ইলিশ হাট) | Online Ilish Fish Selling Website from Bangladesh
- Mazumder SK, Alam MS (January–March 2009). "High levels of genetic variability and differentiation in hilsa shad, Tenualosa ilisha (Clupeidae, Clupeiformes) populations revealed by PCR-RFLP analysis of the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region". Genet Mol Biol. 32 (1): 190–196. PMID 21637667.
- Roomiani L, Sotudeh AM, Hakimi Mofrad R (October 2013). "Reproductive biology of Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) in coastal Waters of the Northwest of Persian Gulf" (PDF). Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences. 13 (1): 201–2015.