Ilish
Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822)
The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha), also called Hilsa or Hilsa shad, is a bony fish in the family Dorosomatidae. It belongs to the genus Tenualosa, the suborder Clupeoidei and the order Clupeiformes, within the class Teleostei.
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Quick facts about the ilish
The species was named by Hamilton in 1822, written as Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822). On the IUCN Red List, the ilish is assessed globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 55 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- coastal, freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the ilish
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
,_taken_from_Chandpur_Fish_Market_(3).jpg){kind=link}
Where does the ilish live?
Not recorded
What is the ilish?
The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) (Bengali: ইলিশ, romanized: iliś), also known as the ilishi, hilsa, pulasa, 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 in the Bengal region and area and is the national fish of Bangladesh. It is also the state fish of the Indian state of West Bengal.
As of 2023, 97% 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 of the country. On 6 August 2017, the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries in Bangladesh declared ilish as a Geographical Indication of Bangladesh. 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Ilish” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ilish&oldid=1379260171), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the ilish endangered?
The ilish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the ilish classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderClupeiformes
- familyDorosomatidae
- genusTenualosa
- SpeciesTenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822)
Synonyms Clupanodon ilisha, Clupea ilisha, Clupea palasah, Hilsa ilisha, Macrura ilisha, Tenualosa illisha, Tenualosa illsha
Other names and names in other languages (18)
- HilsaEnglish
- HilsaEnglish
- Hilsa shadEnglish
- Hilsa shadEnglish
- صبورArabic
- إيليشArabic
- ShourArabic
- ইলিশBangla
- HilshaBangla
- placka ilišaCzech
- ZomurPersian
- हिलसाHindi
- पळवाMarathi
- ငါးသလောက်Burmese
- Индийская тенуалозаRussian
- పులసTelugu
- ปลาตะลุมพุกพม่าThai
- 鰣魚魚Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the ilish
Other species in the same genus Tenualosa.
Toli shad
Tenualosa toli
Laotian shad
Tenualosa thibaudeaui
Reeves shad
Tenualosa reevesii
Longtail shad
Tenualosa macrura
CompareIlish vs Toli shadIlish vs Laotian shadIlish vs Reeves shadIlish vs Longtail shad
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the ilish?
The ilish is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Dorosomatidae in the order Clupeiformes.
What is the scientific name of the ilish?
The scientific name of the ilish is Tenualosa ilisha. It is placed in the genus Tenualosa.
What other names does the ilish have?
The ilish is also called Hilsa and Hilsa shad in English.
Who named the ilish and when?
The ilish was named by Hamilton in 1822; the authority is written as (Hamilton, 1822).
Is the ilish endangered?
No. The ilish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What family does the ilish belong to?
The ilish belongs to the family Dorosomatidae, within the suborder Clupeoidei and the class Teleostei.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ilish
“Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ilish.
@misc{ilish_2026,
title = {Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ilish},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}