Pomfret now costs Rs600-700 apiece, up from Rs400-500 a fortnight back.
There is often one fish-lover to every family.
“My little daughter will not touch any food till she does not see some fried pomfret on the table. Which is why I’m forced to buy fish at these prohibitive rates,” complains Shaju Devassy, who is 38 and a video editor with a leading production house.
This Marol resident was caught grumbling because he was being made to shell out Rs1,500 for a pair of large black pomfrets (halwa). After being initially asked for Rs1,800, Devassy was able to wrangle for a Rs300 reduction, but what left him peeved was the fact that he had paid Rs1,100 for the same pair only a week ago.
“During Lent when many Christians abstain from non-vegetarian food, prices generally stabilise or drop, but this year I shudder to think what they will be on Easter when demand will peak.” He turns to the large tiger prawns being displayed by a neighbouring vendor and quickly retreats when told the price. “Let it be. It is for Rs400 a vaata (portion),” scoffs the fish-monger with unmistakable scorn.
Across the city, at Bhandup’s Gadav Naka fish market, the stories being narrated are of a similar tenor. Homemaker Vinita Narvekar, 29, talks about how fish, a staple for her South Konkan migrant family, is now a luxury. “We are not complaining about expensive fish like pomfret that costs Rs600-800 or surmai (seer fish) that comes for Rs300-350 a piece. But what do you do when even bangda (mackerel), taarli (sardines), bombil (Bombay duck) and mandeli (anchovies) become so expensive!”
While buyers like Devassy and Narvekar are complaining about the prices, Koli fisher folk insist that they hardly benefit from this steep rise in prices.
Dattu Bhoir, 46, of Vesave fishing village says his two last fishing expeditions have been disasters. “Diesel, provisions and the khalasis’ (crew) payments can cost in the excess of Rs 1 lakh a trip when we are out for a week. If we don’t bring back a substantial catch then fishermen like me lose a lot of money.”
Vijay Patil from Thane’s Chendani Koliwada echoes Bhoir. According to him this has been a terrible year. “Every year winter is when the catch is good but this year the cooler than usual temperatures meant that fish shoals stayed deep in the warmer currents where our nets don’t reach. We were hoping to cover up for that before the monsoon sets in when we don’t go to sea for four months but now this season is also ruined.”
The question, though, that everyone wants to know the answer to is - Where have all the fish gone? Marine biologist-conservationist Sarang Kulkarni explains, “Seasonally, surface sea temperatures rise and fish move away but this year the temperature has risen faster and higher. Obviously this has its effect.” According to him there is also a larger problem at work. “While local currents and weather are an important factor, overall climate change and pollution are the bigger problem that we need to worry about. The huge presence of international trawlers in our waters only makes this problem worse.”
Prices:
Pomfret: Rs 400-500 ——— Rs 600-700 aps (as per size)
Halwa (Black Pomfret): Rs 500-600 ——— Rs 800-900 aps
Surmai (Seer Fish): Rs 225-250 ——— Rs 300-400 aps
Bangda (Mackerel): Rs 25-30 —— Rs 35-40 aps
Mori (Shark): Rs 55-60 aps- Rs 75-80 aps
Prawns: Rs 250-300 a portion aps——- Rs 350-400 per portion aps
Taarli (Sardines): Rs 30-35 per portion ——— Rs 50-60
Mandeli (Anchovies): Rs 25-30 per portion —— Rs 40-50 per portion
Shimpli (Clams): Rs 50-55 per portion—— Rs 80-90 per portion
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