A fall in fish prices, triggered by abundant catch, has promoted fishermen to call for support price mechanism for varieties like oil sardines, anchovies and mackerels, which are the mainstay of the traditional sector.
Mackerel price fell the steepest, from Rs. 240 a kg two months ago to Rs. 60 a kg in the retail market on Thursday. The bigger mackerels, however, sold for Rs. 90 a kg. Fishermen get between Rs. 15 and Rs. 20 a kg of mackerel from wholesalers and most of the 4,000-odd traditional fishers in the district are in serious financial crisis, said Charles George of Trade Union Centre of India.
Matsyafed sources said that mackerel price has been hit by slowing exports. Big Indian mackerels are in great demand in the Gulf countries. But the size of the mackerels caught in September had come down and exporters are staying off now, they said.
But oil sardines is a different story as prices head south, selling for Rs. 120 a kg in the retail market on Thursday.
A trader at the Champakkara market contrasts the early months of this year when sardines from Mangalore, Tamil Nadu and even Oman dominated the Kerala market. But now sardines caught off Kerala coast has come to dominate as copious rains in the Arabian Sea appear to have cooled the waters to bring back sardine schools down south.
Sardines caught off the State’s coast are tasty during these months and demand has increased, said the trader explaining the reason why price held steady despite better availability. Discerning buyers now look out for the patently well-rounded oil sardines. A scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute confirmed that sardine and mackerel landings saw significant increase in the recent weeks.
