KOCHI:Though trawling ban has been lifted, the price for fish will remain high for at least the next two or three weeks. The vendors claim that due to heavy rain, many fishermen have not ventured to the sea, due to which supply has come down drastically.
Ansar, a fish dealer at Kaloor, said the fish price continues to touch new heights each day. “Though trawling would start on Wednesday, the price of fish would not come down soon. The initial catch mostly goes for export. The middlemen at harbours would keep the prices high to get good profit. After a few weeks, the export demand would come down and the fish would start arriving at local markets,” he said.
On Tuesday, Mackerel was sold at Rs 260 per kg at Ernakulam market. Sardine was priced at Rs 220 per kg. Shrimps cost from Rs 400- 700 per kg. “Other sea fish are very rare. Due to the high price, we take only a limited quantity now. Though river fishes and farm fishes are in the market, the demand is limited,” Ansar said.
The rough sea is preventing small boats from venturing to the sea, affecting the supply during trawling ban. “Usually, the small boats which net Mackerel and Sardines could not go fishing due to turbulent sea. Even in big shops and malls, fish was not available,” Rajan, a wholesale vendor at Vypeen said.
Fish vendors believe that the high price has forced people to opt for chicken now. “A kilo chicken cost half the price of Sardine. This has affected our business and once the price comes down, things will improve,” Ansar said.