Bangladesh deploys warships to protect prized hilsa fish

FILE PHOTO: In this photo taken on September 14, 2024, a Bangladeshi vendor sells hilsa fish at a market in Dhaka. Millions in Bangladesh depend on the fish, which can cost up to 2,200 taka (US$18.40) a kilogram in Dhaka. - AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh's defence force said it has deployed warships and patrol aircraft as part of a special surveillance operation to protect a prized fish from illegal fishing during its spawning season.

The herring-like hilsa, Bangladesh's national fish and a much-loved delicacy in West Bengal in neighbouring India, return from the Bay of Bengal to rivers each year to lay eggs.