Kasimedu effect: Fish prices up in city

Left with no option, traders now look to other coastal districts like Cuddalore and Nagapattinam to meet the fish demand in the city. Fishermen lamented that the situation was so worse that only 40 boats from the city were venturing into the sea, whereas the number earlier used to be around 250.

S Bharathi, president of South Indian Fishermen Association, said, “Kasimedu market that used receive 150-170 tonnes of fish a day has been receiving only 50 tonnes a day in recent times. Moreover, many fishermen are reluctant to venture into the sea fearing poor or nil catch.” Bharathi also noted that since there was no weather activity on the northern side, fish were not coming to the shore side. “If the sea witnessed cyclonic activities, fish will reach the shore,” he said. 

Similarly, AGS Anbu, a member of Chintadripet Fish and Perishable Traders Association, said, “Since the supply of fish from Kasimedu is low, we need to fetch fish from other coastal districts and from other parts of the country like Odisha and Kerala.”

Mahendran, a fisherman of Nochi Kuppam, told DT Next that his boat was out of the sea for the past one month. “Earlier, I used to get a minimum of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a day. Now, I find it difficult to make both ends meet. The government should take appropriate steps to protect the livelihood of fishing community,” he said. As of now, seer (vanjaram) is now sold at Rs 625 per kg in the wholesale market, which was earlier Rs 400. Price of Pomfret fish (vaval) went up to Rs 500 from Rs 350-400. 

When sought for his views on the fish price situation, D Jayakumar, Minister for Fisheries, said, “The department is conducting a study to find out whether oil-spillage has really affected fishing activities.” However, in an effort to provide a boost to the fishing community, steps were being taken to encourage offshore fishing by creating artificial reefs. Further, the mouths of sea would also be deepened which might increase fish availability close to the shore itself, the minister added.