Stinging Catfish - Shing Mach - Heteropneustes fossilis
The fish you have shown in the red basket is known as Shing Fish in Bangladesh and West Bengal, its English name is Stinging Catfish and its scientific name is Heteropneustes fossilis. It is one of the most popular, most nutritious and most valuable indigenous fish of Bangladesh. This fish is not found everywhere, it is mainly found in ponds, beels, canals, flooded paddy fields and swampy areas of South Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Looking at your picture, it can be understood that most of the fish are Shing fish and with them there are some Koi - climbing perch and Taki - spotted snakehead. This is exactly what happens in our village ponds in the rainy season. As you said, this fish comes with the flow of rain water from one pond to another, no need to release it separately. This is a natural characteristic of this fish.
The appearance of Shing fish is quite different from other fish. Its body is long, somewhat like an eel, but compressed towards the tail. The head is small and flat, with 4 pairs of long whiskers or barbels around the mouth, which helps it find food in muddy water in the dark. Its body color is generally dark brown to blackish, sometimes slightly reddish, the belly is lighter. The skin is smooth and scaleless and is covered with a lot of mucus, so it is very slippery and difficult to hold with bare hands. The most important feature of this fish is that it has a strong venomous spine on both sides behind its head, on the pectoral fins. If this spine stings a human hand, it causes severe pain, burning, swelling and fever for hours. For this reason it is called Stinging Catfish in English. Farmers in villages are very careful when catching this fish.
This fish has a miraculous ability to survive. It has an accessory air-breathing organ, a long air sac that extends from the gill chamber. Because of this, it can breathe directly from the air and can live alive for a long time out of water, even in little water, in mud, and even in dry conditions by burying itself in mud for months during the dry season. For this reason, it is called a live fish or Jiyol fish in Bangladesh. It can walk a short distance on land using its strong pectoral spines during the rainy night.
Nutritionally, Shing fish is a superfood, which is why doctors in Bangladesh highly recommend it. It is rich in animal protein, which is essential for building and repairing our body. It contains very little fat, so it is heart-healthy. The most important thing is that it contains a very high amount of Iron and Calcium. In Bangladesh, Shing fish soup is given to anemic patients, pregnant women, lactating mothers and weak patients after surgery to increase blood and strength quickly. It is believed to increase hemoglobin very fast.
Apart from this, this small indigenous fish contains a lot of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Phosphorus and other micronutrients which you correctly mentioned is very good for eyes, bones and immune system. Unlike farmed hybrid fish, this local fish is completely natural and formalin-free as it comes naturally in the pond, as you said. For this reason, eating this fish reduces the risk of disease and we get proper nutrition.
From an economic point of view, Shing fish is very valuable. Its market price is much higher than Rui, Katla and other white fish. Normally 1 kg of Shing fish is sold at 500 to 800 taka, sometimes even more. Because it is in high demand and production is less. Therefore, if you can cultivate it commercially, it will be very profitable. At present, many people in Bangladesh are cultivating Shing fish in ponds, biofloc and small tanks. It can be cultivated at high density because it can live in low oxygen. It eats small insects, small fish, organic waste, rice bran, mustard oil cake, etc. So the cost of rearing is also low.
For cooking, Shing fish is incomparable in taste. Because it has no small bones inside, only a backbone, it is easy to eat for children and elderly people. In villages, Shing fish is cooked in various ways - light soup with green papaya for patients, with kochu loti - taro stolon, with brinjal and tomato curry, or simply fried. Its soup is very tasty and healthy.
However, this valuable fish is now under threat. Due to the excessive use of pesticides in paddy fields, filling of ponds and canals, pollution and overfishing, this fish is decreasing day by day. Therefore, we need to conserve this fish. Like you got a lot of fish from your pond without releasing them, it proves that if we keep the natural environment of the pond good, not use excessive chemicals, and keep the connection with the canal during the rainy season, this fish will come naturally and breed. We should not catch too small Shing fish, we should give them a chance to lay eggs in the rainy season.
In conclusion, Shing fish is not just a fish, it is a part of our Bengali culture, our tradition and our nutrition. The basket full of fish that you have got is truly a blessing from Allah, as you said health is a big blessing. Such natural, formalin-free fish keeps us healthy. As you shared with everyone in the neighborhood, it also increases social bonding. We should all eat more indigenous fish like Shing, Koi, Magur, Taki instead of only farmed fish, and we should try to conserve them so that future generations can also enjoy this taste and nutrition.
Furthermore, this hardy fish teaches us patience and gratitude, as nature rewards honest care with abundance, inspiring young generation towards sustainable farming and healthy living in our villages every day.
❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much.
🫰🫰🫰🫰