How Bangladesh Saved Its Most Iconic Fish

Hilsa is everywhere in Bangladesh. It’s on dinner tables, in markets, in poetry, in history, in culture. It is also the backbone of the country’s largest fishery, and it feeds millions. The hilsa industry supports 2.5 million people and brings in over 3 billion dollars a year and it makes up 12 percent of the country’s total fish catch. However, these numbers only tell part of the story. Behind them is a fishery that almost collapsed. Years of overfishing and habitat loss pushed hilsa to the edge.

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