Summary:
Fishing activities at Visakhapatnam harbor have come to a standstill.
Even in restaurants, seafood delicacies have seen prices shoot through the roof due to a shortage of stock.
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With the deep-sea fishing ban currently in effect, prices of freshwater fish have risen by nearly 30 per cent in parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Traders attribute this price rise due to the decline in availability owing to rising temperatures.
Popular varieties of freshwater fish such as Koramenu (red snapper) and Matta Gidasa are selling for Rs 700 and Rs 400 a kilo respectively.
Only a couple of weeks back, Koramenu was selling for Rs 500 a kilo while Matta Gidasa went for Rs 250 a kilo.
Other freshwater fish such as Catla, Rohu, Mrugala and Rup Chand are selling between Rs 150 and Rs 300 per kilo.
Ch Satyanarayana Murthy, president of Dolphin Boat Operators’ Welfare Association, said that the annual deep-sea fishing ban has triggered the price rise of freshwater fish.
Fishing activities at Visakhapatnam harbor have come to a standstill, he said.
In restaurants too, seafood delicacies have seen prices shoot through the roof due to a shortage of stock.
“Restaurants are not serving seafood dishes during the ban.
We hope for the situation to improve in the last week of June,” said Akella Venkata Ramana Murthy, president of Andhra Pradesh Hotels Association (APHA).
Meanwhile, chicken prices have come down significantly from Rs 220 per kg to Rs 160 per kg.