FAO.org

Winter breeding of Hilsa ilisha (Ham.) in the Gangetic System has for long been a controversial issue. While some authours doubted tho posslbiiity of winter breeding, others differed in their opinion as to the time of spawning. The present investigation has shown that the species breeds in the fresh water section of the Lower Ganga around Bhagalpur from late February or early March to the last week of April. The spawning ground has also been broadly demarcated and it is shown that water temperature, current velocity and standing crcp of plankton influence the spawning and that the resident 'Slender' variety (Ghosh et al. 1968) ia responsible for the post-winter spawning.