Small fry

Inspired by their brethren across the border in Bangladesh, who went to war against overfishing when catches fell by orders of magnitude while prices soared, lawmakers in West Bengal are now ready to bring the majesty of the law to bear on illicit fishing in the spawning season, when hilsa swim upriver like salmon.

Again, like salmon (the wild Alaskan variety is protected by law, by the way), hilsa could be legally shielded from fishermen and traders who catch and sell small specimens. Hilsa reappeared in Indian waters when Bangladesh declared fish swimming up from the Bay of Bengal off-limits.

Now, it is India’s turn to prevent overfishing, so that hilsa venture further up the Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems, for everyone’s pleasure and profit. Size matters, and not only in fishing yarns. Apart from the ethical considerations, the smallest deserve protection because they have room to register the highest growth, and potentially offer the best returns. India under-appreciates this obvious principle.

In politics, business and society, the future belongs to the small fry. But like the hilsa, they may need a little protection en route.