Homeward bound
Shifting from the ocean's saline water into the river's fresh water is no piece of cake. The body metabolism has to withstand the sudden change in density. Not only does the female hilsa have to build up energy for the formation of eggs inside her, but both male and female fish need excess reserves to swim long and arduous distances upstream against gravity, defying predators and other obstacles.
There is another twist to the tale. While swimming upstream, the appearance of the male fish changes. It grows sharp teeth to be able to defend its young. In the case of salmon, certain species may develop a hump to make them more conspicuous so that the enemy's attention is diverted to the males. After all, the females play the more important role of propagating the species!
How do they find the exact location of the estuary? They use magneto-reception; i.e. they detect the Earth's magnetic field and orient themselves accordingly. A natural GPS that never lets them down! After reaching their birthplace, the female hilsa releases her eggs into the water and the male fertilizes them with his sperm. Most adult hilsas that swam all the way up the river die. Their bodies decompose, adding rich nutrients to the river. The young fish that hatch make the reverse journey all the way back to the ocean. The river's various scents are imprinted into their brain so that, as adults, they can travel back. The return journey is dangerous. They may come across rapids and waterfalls. They leap as high as four metres to avoid waterfalls. Then there are predators waiting to get an easy meal. Not all the new born fish make it back to the ocean.
The story of these fish whether salmon or shad — makes one realise what a difficult life they lead just to ensure the survival of their species.
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