Fish lovers sulk as prices touch a new high

BENGALURU: The onset of monsoon in the city has led to dejection among fish lovers as prices of all popular varieties have skyrocketed leaving residents with no option but to shell out extra money in order to enjoy their favourite fish delicacies. Varieties of fish that have witnessed a surge in price include the seer fish (Surma) which now costs around `1200, white pomfret costing `1,000 - 1,200, Indian salmon priced between `700 - `750 and some other popular types.

According to fish stall owners, this is a normal occurrence every year as prices increase due to lesser availability of fish. “Fish breed during this time and the demand is high but supply goes down as fishing is prohibited in the breeding season,” said Syed Azhar, a stall owner in Ulsoor. Another stall owner said that the banning fishing activities across the Mangaluru coastline due to rough seas during the onset of monsoon was also a major cause for the rise in prices. “Generally, fishes reach Bengaluru from Goa, Odisha, Kerala, Mangaluru and Chennai, but the supply from the Mangaluru coastline has stopped due to rough weather. This has considerably affected business,” said Yusuf Sherrif, from Galaxy fish stall in Richmond time.

As a result, the sale of fishes, which normally is brisk through the year, has almost stalled. “The prices of seer fish have almost doubled. Not many are willing to buy at these rates, so our sales have reduced. The prices of seawater fishes are fluctuating daily due to the reduced availability,” he added. Prices of freshwater fish are stable.

Chandran, a fish stall owner from Yeshwanthpur fish market, said that the fish supply decreased due to monsoon and a trolling ban in Kerala and Mangalore region. Since the trolling ban is active for the next 45 days in places such as Kerala and Mangaluru, the price of fishes are not expected to come down any time soon.