A fisherman in Satkhira caught a rare 15kg barramundi in the Kholpetua River, attracting crowds and sparking discussion about declining large fish populations and the river’s remaining ecological richness.
A fisherman in Bangladesh’s southwestern Satkhira district has caught a giant barramundi, locally known as kural or vetki, weighing nearly 15 kilograms in the Kholpetua River, drawing widespread attention from local residents and fellow fishers.
The unusually large fish was caught on Sunday in the river near Kapshonda village in Ashashuni upazila by fisherman Robiul Islam Gazi. The catch follows two other sizeable barramundi previously found in his net, weighing eight kilograms and 12 kilograms respectively.
Robiul said he had gone fishing in the Kholpetua River before dawn as part of his daily routine. While hauling in his net a short time later, he noticed it felt unusually heavy.
“With the help of several others, I managed to pull the net up and found the large kural fish inside,” he said.
After bringing the fish ashore, it was weighed and found to be approximately 15 kilograms.
The rare catch quickly attracted attention at the riverbank, where curious residents gathered to see the fish. Many took photographs and shared them on social media, generating further interest in the event.
Local fishermen said barramundi are regularly found in the Kholpetua River, but specimens of this size are rarely caught. They noted that the number of large fish in the river has declined compared with previous years, making such catches increasingly uncommon and a topic of discussion across the area.
According to local residents, the river’s natural environment and favorable seasonal conditions still occasionally produce large native fish species. They said the catch offers a hopeful sign for the region’s fishing community.
