Kolkata, Sept. 15 -- In a first, India has exported around 500 MT of roe-filled Hilsas from Gujarat to Bangladesh in the last two months and another 150 MT of the fish is likely to be exported in the coming weeks, people aware of the developments said. "Usually, it is the other way round. Hisla from Bangladesh, which is considered the best for its taste, is imported around the Durga Puja time. But this is for the first time that Hilsa is being exported to Bangladesh. It is primarily the roe-filled Hisla from Gujarat," said SA Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers' Association in West Bengal. Hilsa is often tagged as the "Queen of Fish" for its taste and the Bangladeshi-hilsa found in the Padma River, is considered to be tastier than its Indian counterpart, which is found in the Hooghly River in West Bengal. Outside West Bengal, the Bangladeshi Hilsa is in great demand in Assam and Tripura. "The prime reason behind the export is the huge production of Hilsa in Gujarat. Only the roe-filled fishes are being exported. In Bangladesh the fish-eggs would be processed separately and exported to other countries, while the fish would be dried for future consumption as dried fish in Cox Bazar, Chittagong, Sylhet and other areas," said Maqsood. "In Gujarat, while a residential population of the Hilsa is found in the Ukai reservoir, shoals of the fish migrate from the Arabian Sea to river Narmada and Tapi for spawning," Basanta Kumar Das, director of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, had said earlier. Fish traders in West Bengal said that as the consumption of fish is very less in Gujarat, most of the catch is sent to West Bengal. The consignments reach Howrah and Kolkata from where they are sent to other parts of the state including north Bengal. Meanwhile, with the festive season round the corner and Durga Puja scheduled in mid-October, fish importers in West Bengal have already approached the Bangladesh authorities like every year requesting to allow export of the silver delicacy to West Bengal, where it is in high demand....