Soaring seafood prices have left consumers worried here. The escalation has been caused by the annual 45-day ban on fishing by mechanised boats, which normally net a huge catch.
Ever since the ban came into force on April 15, fishing has been confined to operations by country boats, which could not fish considerably to meet the consumption demands.
Hence, the current trend has made seafood prices dearer in markets here. Many consumers feel that government should contain the steep rise in price of fish during the ban period.
Since price fluctuation seems a constant concern in markets, it’s high time the government set up a regulated fish market in Tuticorin on a par with farmers’ market to benefit seafood lovers, Manimaran, a consumer, said here on Sunday.
Even when the ban was not in effect, fish price is decided arbitrarily by vendors, he said.
The fish market witnesses a low turnout of consumers following the sky-rocketing price.
D. Johnson, a fish vendor, said that due to shortage of seafood, it was being sold at unaffordable prices.
The selling price of a kilo of ‘seela’ fish touched Rs.1,000, a couple of days ago. ‘Oola’ is sold at Rs. 350 to 400 per kg, and ‘vila’ and ‘para’ cost Rs.300 to 350 per kg.
But the average market price of ‘seela’, the most sought after fish variety, used to be Rs.600. Even sardines, small in size, is sold at a high price. Four sardines are sold at Rs.10. Normally, consumers can get six to eight sardines for the same amount. Unlike under normal circumstances, procurement of edible fishes from landing centres in neighbouring coastal villages has also become difficult.
If the arrival of fish would be lesser in the days to come, the price is expected to go up even further.
“Though there is a larger fleet of country boats compared to mechanised boats, they cannot engage in deep-sea fishing. The country boats are designed to fish up to fifteen nautical miles at sea, where as mechanised boats can sail up to 60 nautical miles”, S. Maharajan, president, Tharuvaikulam panchayat, said.
