KOLLAM: Rising mercury has taken a heavy toll on the fishing sector in Kerala as the dwindling catch has led to prices of certain varieties going up drastically.
As the summer has peaked, there has been a decrease in the availability of fish along the coastal waters of Kerala. According to fishermen, surface fish are moving into the deep sea owing to rising temperatures.
Added to this is the decrease in the number of boats venturing into the sea for deep-sea fishing. Most of the fishermen who work in boats in the Kollam region have returned to their homeland, and the manpower shortage has affected the catch. With the decrease in fish availability in the local market, prices have gone up drastically in the market.
“During summer, the availability of plankton, the food for fish, reduces in the sea, and during rains, the plankton wealth increases. So the fish wealth moves towards deep sea where food is available in abundance. Some varieties of fish like mackerel move to the deep waters when temperatures go up in coastal waters. Some environmental factors and temperature affect the availability of fish.
Phenomenon like chakara occurs during rains when the temperature goes down rapidly,” said Dr V Kripa, former head of environment division, CMFRI. This phenomenon is common across Kerala and is not restricted to a particular region, she added.
Along with fishermen and boat owners, fish vendors are also affected by the dwindling catch.
“As the temperature has increased, there has been a decrease in the availability of fish in the coastal waters. We have to move to deep sea to spot the fish.
Normally, the catch is high during rainy season. In summer, owing to rising heat the catch dwindles and there will be a massive dip in the market owing to supply shortage,” said Noushad M, a fish seller from Kollam. According to sources in the fishing sector, the export has also come down as the boats engaged in deep-sea fishing are not venturing into the sea.
Exporters are not getting enough fish and the catch is as low as 25 per cent. Several species, including Babilonia (Shanku), are abundant along Kollam coast in April - May period. The Babilonia variety is mostly exported. The exporters in Kollam and Kochi said they are able to export Babilonia fish but there is a shortage of other varieties.
In Kerala, the largest fish catch is recorded along the Kollam Fishing Bank, which stretches from north of Vizhinjam to south of Kochi. Even a small change in sea temperature can affect the fish population, and when the temperature goes up, the fish wealth moves into the deep sea.
“Although the season after the trawling ban has been in full swing since April, fishermen have not benefited from it. This time, there is a dearth of workers in the fishing sector. If it were not for the crisis, there would have been a huge gain, including in the export sector,” said Peter Mathias, state president of the All Kerala Boat Operators Association.
Due to the increase in kerosene prices, inboard vessels are also not going to the sea. The price of kerosene, which was `103, has increased to `155 and it is affecting fishermen.
A month ago, though bigger species were not present, there was an abundance of small sardines. Also fish like Vella Vatta (Giant Thevally) and Vattapara (Thevally) are currently unavailable in the markets as it is off season.
With the decrease in fish availability, prices have also gone up. But fish like tuna, barracuda, crab are available in abundance.
SEASONAL VARIETIES
1. Monsoon: Sardine, mackerel, anchovy, shrimp
2. Post-monsoon: Seer fish, pomfret, trevally, squid and cuttlefish (kanava)
3. Summer: Tuna, barracuda, pearl spot (karimeen), crab