Inclement weather: Fish prices soar

Mangaluru: Thanks to inclement weather, the price of premium fish, which has been high since mid-April this year, has seen a sharp rise in the month of May.

The white or silver pomfret, is selling at an astonishing Rs 1,100 a kilo, which is a historic high this year for this species of butterfish that lives in coastal waters off South Asia and Southeast Asia.Even the cost of seer fish has seen a sharp hike from about Rs 600 to Rs 700 a kilo to Rs 990 a kilo this month.

Fishermen attribute this rise in price to little or no fishing activity since the past fortnight due to inclement weather. The IMD has already issued a warning to fishermen till Saturday, indicating that winds may reach speeds of 100-110 kmph and 120 kmph over south-west and west-central Arabian Sea, respectively. The winds will gradually increase in speed to 150-160 kmph, and may even go up to 180 kmph over west-central Arabian Sea from Friday, warned the IMD.

Over the fortnight, even daily staple fish like mackerel and sardines have seen an increase in price from about Rs 120 to Rs 200 a kilo, and Rs 100 to Rs 180 a kilo, respectively.

White or silver pomfret is selling at Rs 1,100 per kilo and black pomfret is selling at Rs 690 per kilo at the KFDC outlet in the city.