Sea fish vanishes from market as corona threat looms large

Fear of the dreaded virus keeps people away from delicious dish

Only tank fish being sold at a market in Puttur of Chittoor district on Wednesday.

Though a cross section of public in the tail-end Chittoor district are familiar with the dreaded coronavirus and its threat since a week, its immediate impact on the commercial front is felt on the sea fish trade. At the fish markets in the urban areas, including the municipalities of Chittoor, Puttur, Nagari, and Srikalahasti, stocks of sea fish has gone dry since Sunday. The fish traders term it a ‘sudden development’, and that they are yet to understand its ramifications fully.

A rich variety of sea fish regularly finds its way to the urban fish markets in Chittoor district from Chennai’s fishing harbour and surrounding villages. The stocks would pour in considerably large quantities on Sundays and Wednesdays. The varieties of ‘vanjaram’ and ‘sora’ would dominate the market, selling like hotcake. Some families, who believe in the health benefits of sea fish, hardly miss visiting the market a single day. It is estimated that the tail-end district would make a monthly business of about 30 tonnes of sea fish.

The traders at Satyavedu, Srikalahasti, Varadaiahpalem, B.N. Kandriga and Nagalapuram mandals get stocks from the Pulicat Lake and Tada in the neighbouring Nellore district, apart from the TN villages abutting the lake and the Bay of Bengal. Close to 100 families from Satyavedu and Varadaiahpalem mandals are involved in selling sea fish in the eastern mandals. Coming to Puttur, Nagari, Tirupati, and Chittoor markets, the supply comes from Chennai in trains and trucks. Small quantum of sea fish would further reach Madanapalle, Kuppam, Palamaner, and Piler in the western side.

On Wednesday, sea fish went literally missing from the urban markets. The traders were forced to keep small quantum of sea fish at some corners, hoping to sell them but in vain. Fearing to place sea fish and local fish (from village tanks) together on display at the markets, the traders soon removed the former.

Potential carrier

Babu, a senior fish merchant at Puttur market, said that fear psychosis has gripped the fish consumers that sea fish could be the potential carrier of the coronavirus all way from the shores of China to the Bay of Bengal and beyond. “For the next one month, the people would not be in a position to dare purchase the sea fish. We had procured some stocks last week from Chennai, but could not sell much due to Republic Day on Sunday. We have a small quantum left now, and we are ready to abandon the same. In view the present threat of coronavirus, we too can’t make business with it,” he said.

Coming to the rural markets, the sea fish business is yet to face any bigger threat. “While the educated families stopped coming to us, our regular customers are not bothered about the threats of the virus spread through sea fish,” said a woman fish merchant at Varadaiahpalem.

Meanwhile, the local fish varieties from village tanks and reservoirs have flooded the fish markets elsewhere in the district, with the traders hoping to cash in on ‘nil or the lowest’ sales of sea fish due to coronavirus threat. In spite of the availability of the fresh water fish, still the people are taking a back step in the urban areas, while the impact of coronavirus threat is yet to reach the rural belt.