It is a time for celebration for fishermen of Noakhali and Laxmipur as they are passing busy time netting coral in the Meghna river.

Fishermen of Hatya, Subarna Char and Companiganj upazilas in Noakhali and Ramgati and Komol Nagar upazilas in Laximpur said the marine fish has recenly been found in water bodies, canals and ponds in the costal region near the Meghna.

The fish was rarely seen in the last few decades in the area, they said.

As the fish is very tasty and lucrative, people prefer coral to hilsa most of the time, local elders said, adding that one kilogram of the fish is being sold at about Tk 500.

Fisherman Samor Jaldas of Laximpur said the coral fish is now available in Switch Gate canal, Jugesh canal and Batir canal in the area.

He recently caught a coral weighing seven kg in Batir canal and sold it to local gold trader Josh Raj Kuri for Tk 3,500.

Helal Uddin, president of Hatya Mathshajibi Samity, said huge amount of coral was caught by the fishermen this season.

The fishes are now being sold in Dhaka and Chittagong, he said.