A shady affair at the heart of strained relations between India and Bangladesh

Piles of glistening silver fish are being sold at exorbitant prices in the Indian port of Calcutta, an unlikely consequence of a diplomatic crisis following a student-led revolution in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Demand is so high for hilsa, a herring-like fish – Bangladesh’s national fish and a popular delicacy in neighboring West Bengal state in India – that Dhaka banned exports this year.

The move follows a continuing diplomatic row between Dhaka and New Delhi after Bangladesh’s autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August and fled by helicopter to her old ally India.

“You have to taste it to understand why it is in such demand,” says Mohammed Zeeshan, a fishmonger in Calcutta.

As long as a forearm, the saltwater fish is usually steamed, fried in fragrant mustard oil or dipped in a spicy curry sauce.

“I can’t describe it in words,” added Zeeshan, 29, flashing a broad smile.

Fans say its white flesh is not only delicious but nutritious.

It is also an integral part of religious festivals, particularly during the Hindu celebrations of the goddess Durga, which this year fall in October.

Its near-sacred status has inspired art, poetry and literature.

When the ‘hilsa fishing season’ began, Calcutta newspapers hailed the ‘queen of fish’ and published photographs of the first catch.

– “Diplomacy on ice” –

Indian fishing fleets ply the brackish waters of the Ganges, fueling soaring demand in the megacity of Kolkata and the wider state of West Bengal, which has a population of more than 100 million.

But overfishing means stocks are running low, with traders previously turning to Bangladesh to fill the gap.

Much of Bangladesh is made up of deltas, where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers meander towards the sea after flowing through India.

In Bangladesh, millions of people also depend on fish.

Environmental experts say fish stocks have also been affected by changes in ecologically sensitive, low-lying deltas, which are threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change.

Authorities in Dhaka have imposed restrictions on fishing to ensure the sustainability of stocks and keep prices low for its 170 million people.

Bangladesh had severely restricted its exports in previous years.

But Hasina has also pursued a soft power strategy, authorizing the export of several thousand tonnes ahead of Calcutta’s main religious festival, the week-long Durga Puja celebrations.

Hasina herself used to offer hilsa during her trips to India. But her dubious diplomacy ended with her dramatic fall on August 5.

His government has been accused of widespread human rights abuses, and the interim administration currently ruling Bangladesh wants his extradition.

Dhaka belatedly announced on Saturday a partial lifting of the ban to allow the export of 3,000 tonnes of hilsa for the Durga Puja festival.

That’s nearly 1,000 tonnes less than India was allowed to import last year, and official trade is not expected to resume until the end of the month.

– “Only the rich” –

Already high prices have increased by a third since Hasina’s ouster.

The fish is selling for up to 1,800 rupees ($21.45) per kilogram, up from around 1,300 rupees ($15.50) last year.

It is a princely sum, about what a worker could earn in about two days.

“The ban has had a huge impact on trade,” said Zeeshan, the fishmonger. “Supply is less and prices have gone up.”

The celebration of Durga Puja and a dish of hilsa go hand in hand for many Kolkata residents.

This year, many are out of price range.

“Only the rich will be able to afford it,” Zeeshan added. “Where will the poor go?”

At the Indian port of Namkhana, Anath Das, a 52-year-old fisherman, said the costs meant “people would face problems”.

Das said it was better to sell his catch than to keep it and eat it himself.

The West Bengal Fish Importers Association of India has written a letter to Dhaka seeking resumption of trade, saying hilsa is “in high demand among fish connoisseurs”.

Some hilsa slips through the net across the border.

But the fish is transported by road and air, rather than by Bangladeshi boats that land their catch in Indian ports, and it spoils easily.

Indian border police have foiled “multiple attempts” by fish smugglers transporting hilsa in small boats on calm water routes.

But across the border in Bangladesh, prices remain high because catches are low.

Fish costs up to 2,200 taka ($18.40) per kilogram in Dhaka’s Kawran Bazaar.

“The quantity has decreased,” said Mofiz Rana, a 40-year-old fish seller. “But if the fish had been exported to India this year, the price would have increased further.”

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