About Ilish / Hilsha

The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) (Bengali: ইলিশ, romanized: iliś), also known as the ilisha, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the Indian Subcontinent. The most famous hilsh fish comes from Chandpur District, Bangladesh. It is the national fish of Bangladesh and state symbol in the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. 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 (DPDT) under the Ministry of Industries of Bangladesh has declared the recognition of ilish as the product of Bangladesh. 70-75 percent of total produced ilish in the world is produced in Bangladesh which applied for Geographical Indication (GI) in 2004. 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.

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