The fish lovers here are experiencing higher prices in all kinds of marine fish over the last couple of months.The situation has not improved even after lifting of ban period for operation of trawlers and mechanised boats from April 15 to May 30.
The depletion of fish catch by the trawlers, mechanised boats, gill netters and country boats led to less supply of fish to the local market, said sources.
While Baleswar has 12 fishing bases including two major ones, Balaramgadi and Bahabalpur, there are about more than 450 registered trawlers and 170 other vessels operating for fishing purposes.
The Fisheries Department (marine wing) admitted that the district witnessed a massive depletion of marine catch and the shortfall is about 40 per cent against an average annual consumption target of 35,000 MT. In case of the export oriented species like Promfret, Hilsa and prawn, the quantum is less by 60 per cent, it said.
The local markets, the wholesale as well the retails, have witnessed a spurt in the price of marine fish in the ongoing marriage season, hitting the customers hard. The market while has been witnessing a wide gap between demand and supply, it is the fish of Andhra Pradesh which is meeting a majority of the demand.
With the shortfall, the common fish registered a hike in price by about 25 to 40 per cent against the normal price under the current situation. The department, however, attributed reduction of catch to lack adequate conservation.
“We are facing acute scarcity since past several months. Fed up with nagging losses, some owners are not letting their vessels for voyage,” said Purna Mahanto, a trawler owner.
“The crisis has shaken our financial strengths and hopes. While generally we depend on the hand loans during the season, we are not able to meet the breakeven expenditure,” he added.
A fishery officer said there was not enough time for breeding and lack of adequate conservation led into the crisis. The moratorium period banning fishing while has been two months earlier as per a Central Government directive, the period has been reduced to one and a half months. Ideally, it should be three months, he informed.