With the rise in mercury, fish prices at Muttrah market too have shot up. Supply of fish has dwindled as fewer fishermen venture into the sea due to the heat.
Abdul al Shaqsi, the manager of Muttrah municipal fish market, told Muscat Daily, "Before summer began, 1kg kingfish cost around RO2, but the price has now touched RO3.5; the price of tuna, which was RO1.7 per kilo, has risen to RO3.
"Similarly, the price of shrimp, which was between RO2 and RO3, has touched more than RO4.5 a kilo. The same is the case with other fish like mackerel and sardine. Normally, nearly 40 tonnes of fish are supplied to Muttrah every day from Salalah, Seeb and other places. Now, the supply has dwindled to less than ten tonnes."
Hassan K P, a resident of Amerat who often buys fish from Muttrah, said, "My family and I have been buying fish from the Muttrah market for years, but things are difficult now. The prices have skyrocketed and four mackerels now cost RO1, while earlier we could get eight for the same amount."
"The only fish available in large quantities in the Oman Sea are kingfish and tuna. Most of the other species have descended 100-150m deeper into the ocean," said 74 year old fisherman Baba Darwish Harum al Firji.
"Young fishermen are not willing to venture out to sea as it is too hot. And those who do, prefer fishing close to the shore at places like Quriyat, Azaiba, Sifah, Ghubra and Seeb. Fishermen usually go out at 4am and return by 8am these days, not sailing more than 90km," he added.
A vendor in the Muttrah fish market said the scarcity and subsequent price hike were also due to the fact that large supermarket chains are buying fish in bulk from the market.
Fish and sea food prices increased by 22 per cent in April 2011 as compared to the same month last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of National Economy. The ministry is yet to release the statistics for the month of June.
© Muscat Daily 2011
