Hilsa is the Indian migratory fish and is caught in considerable number in Bengal and Orissa, from the lower regions of all the rivers on the east coast, from Narmada and Tapti on the west coast, and from the Chilika Lake.The main catches are after the monsoons from the flooded estuaries of the Ganges and Mahanadi, but some fishing is done during summer and winter months also. Various methods are used to catch Hilsa mainly by ‘Sanghla-Jal’, gill nets, seine nets, drift nets and bag nets. Large-scale fishing is conducted in Ganges and Mahanadi estuary, where the fish migrates in large shoals. A large part of the catch is salted or sundried for consumption in the interior parts of the country.