Rains, curbs bring down fish prices at Kasimedu market

“Unlike usual Sundays, the sale was less, as it is Krithigai today and tomorrow is Krishna Jayanthi. So the market received less than 1,000 people. Also, due to the continuous rainfall for the past few days, customers are not coming to the market,” said Prabhakaran R, a wholesale trader at the fish market. 

Though the traders were expecting an increase in the price, it decreased by 10 per cent. Now, seer fish (vanjaram) is being sold for Rs 550/kg, black pomfret Rs 430/kg, red snapper (sankara) Rs 300/kg, crab Rs 250/kg and prawns Rs 260 – Rs 300/kg.Nanjil P Ravi, spokesperson of Akila Indhiya Meenavar Makkal Sangam, noted that city fish markets have been receiving catch from other states, as the fishing ban on the west coast has ended. That too has affected the business at Kasimedu, he said. 

“Sale was seriously affected due to the time restriction. As customers are allowed to purchase only from 10 pm to 5 am, only a few are visiting the market. Also, the number of boats venturing to the sea had fallen to 100 due to diesel price hike. Because of the continuous rain since last week, fishermen were cautioned against venturing out. Due to this, we are receiving only around 80 tonnes of fish,” he added.