The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) (Bengali: ইলিশ, romanized: iliś), also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the Indian subcontinent, and is the national fish of Bangladesh and the state fish of West Bengal.
The world famous hilsha fish comes from Padma River (the main distributary of the Ganges), Bangladesh. As of 2021, 86% of the world's total ilish supply originates in Bangladesh.
The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1.15% of GDP in Bangladesh. On 6 August 2017, Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries of Bangladesh has declared the recognition of ilish as the product of Bangladesh. As of 2021, 86% of the world's total ilish supply originates in Bangladesh which applied for Geographical indication (GI) in 2004. About 450,000 people are directly involved in the catching of the fish as a large part of their livelihood; around four to five million people are indirectly involved with the trade.
