Before dawn, while darkness still blankets the city, Fisheryghat in Chattogram comes alive with activity. One after another, fishing trawlers, boats and mini-trucks loaded with fish arrive at the jetty. Unloading begins, followed by bargaining, price negotiations and auction calls. Within the early hours of the day, transactions worth hundreds of crores of taka take place at the bustling market.
Located on the bank of the Karnaphuli River, between the Chaktai and Rajakhali canals, Fisheryghat is one of the country’s largest wholesale fish markets, spread across 3.98 acres of land.
In the past, the market primarily handled fish caught from the sea. However, over the past decade, it has also emerged as a major distribution centre for commercially farmed fish from different parts of the country. Today, it serves as an integrated marketplace for fish sourced from the sea, rivers, ponds and commercial aquaculture farms.
The sky is not yet fully lit by daylight. Numerous fishing trawlers loaded with fish have already arrived at the jetty. Workers unload fish from the boats in baskets and plastic crates. The surroundings echo with workers’ calls, the movement of baskets, negotiations among wholesale traders and bargaining between buyers and sellers.
In some places, piles of silvery hilsa are displayed, while elsewhere there are pomfret, coral fish, lakkha, loitta, ribbonfish, poa, faisa, parse and tuna, along with various other marine species. Baskets of smaller fish sit beside larger ones, while separate piles contain shrimp and mixed varieties of fish.
The fish trade at Fisheryghat is not limited to marine catches. Traders also bring fish produced at aquaculture farms, ponds and water bodies from different regions of the country in mini-trucks. Their consignments include rohu, catla, mrigal, silver carp, pangasius, tilapia and grass carp, among other farmed varieties.
As soon as the fish are unloaded, another round of activity begins. Workers break large blocks of ice, while others transport ice from nearby ice factories. At different points, ice is mixed with fish in baskets to prepare the consignments for transportation.
Ice is in enormous demand at the market to preserve the freshness of fish. Many workers are engaged in ice production, transportation, crushing and distribution. As a result, the ice trade has also become an important part of Fisheryghat’s economy.
Even before sunrise, the jetty becomes so crowded with thousands of people that there is barely room to move. Retail traders from different markets across the city come to purchase fish, while wholesalers and businessmen from various parts of the country also gather at the market.
After purchasing the fish, traders preserve them with ice and load them onto trucks and other vehicles. The consignments are then transported by road to markets across different districts.
At this marketplace, where fish worth around Tk 1 billion are traded every day, the profits and losses of numerous businesses depend on the supply, demand and prevailing prices of fish.
Fisheryghat has 103 wholesale fish trading depots, locally known as ‘gaddis’. Members of the Sonali Mechanised Fishermen Cooperative Society have been allocated these trading depots.
Each depot owner operates several fishing boats or trawlers. Under their supervision, fishermen venture into the sea to catch fish.
The daily trade of fish worth hundreds of crores of taka revolves around these 103 depots. The market also provides employment to thousands of people, while fish supplied through Fisheryghat help keep markets across the entire city running.
Fishermen: The Backbone of the Fish Trade
Fishermen are the principal driving force behind Fisheryghat’s massive daily business. They spend days at sea catching fish, often facing adverse weather, rough waves and prolonged periods away from shore.
Their work is physically demanding and fraught with risks. However, most fishermen do not own boats or hold any share in the fish business. Instead, they work as daily wage labourers and receive a fixed amount for each day’s work.
Speaking at Fisheryghat, fisherman Sagar Jaldas said, “Fishing has been our family profession for generations. This is how we earn our livelihood. Whether the catch is large or small, our wages remain fixed.”
Another fisherman described the difficulties they face during fishing bans.
“When fishing is prohibited, we have no work. We then have to borrow money to support our families. However, the government’s assistance in the form of rice and cash has eased our hardship to some extent,” he said.
Regulatory Oversight and Quality Control
The New Fisheryghat is one of the largest fish markets in Chattogram and remains busy throughout the day, with fish transactions worth hundreds of crores of taka taking place daily.
Under the Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Act, 1997, the relevant authorities oversee fish quality, the sale of safe and unadulterated fish, and compliance with regulations governing fish trading.
According to information provided by a concerned official, 68 of the 103 trading depots at Fisheryghat have obtained licences from the relevant authorities under the Act.
He also noted that some of the depots had obtained licences from the Department of Agricultural Marketing.
