Hooked on fishy business

Dhaka this year banned exports due to high demand.

HERRING: DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT LEADS TO HEFTY PRICES.

Shimmering piles of silver fish are snapped up for exorbitant prices in India's port of Kolkata, the unlikely side-effect of a diplomatic fallout after a student-led revolution in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Demand is so high for the herring-like hilsa - the national fish of Bangladesh and a much-loved delicacy in India's adjoining West Bengal state that Dhaka this year banned exports.

The decision follows a festering diplomatic dispute between Dhaka and New Delhi, after Bangladesh's autocratic leader, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted in August and escaped by helicopter to old ally India.

"You have to taste it to know why it is so in demand," said Kolkata fishmonger Zeeshan.

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

"I cannot describe it in words", Zeeshan added, 29-year-old beaming a wide smile.

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