The dull market response has disappointed the fishermen who failed to fetch higher prices against the season's fresh catch of shrimp and fish; it is only due to the buyers who had disturbed the demand and supply gap during the July ban. Fishermen also complained that the fishing boats bringing the fresh catch of seafood are unable to reach exactly the landing platform because of heavy congestions of big-size boats waiting to fill up their tanks with ice before starting the fishing voyage.
"We fishermen are in a very difficult situation to reach the harbour's auction hall K-II because there are scores of boats moored and hindering our movement," said a fisherman, Ghulam Akbar, who had just landed at harbour with the season's first catch.
He blamed the buyers had continued purchasing of seafood through illegal ways during the July ban when none of the boats were officially allowed to voyage deep sea to catch shrimp. "These buyers have huge stockpiles of shrimp and are now giving cold response to fishermen for their catch, which disallowed the seafood prices to move up at season's start," the fisherman said.
Fishermen expected big response for their shrimp catch immediately after the August voyage started but failed to receive the impact. "We were expecting about Rs 1,100 per kg for Jaira shrimp, which is now being sold at Rs 580-670 per kg," he said. Before the July ban, Jaira was being sold at Rs 1,180 per kg, Kalri shrimp for Rs 350 per kg, Kiddi shrimp for Rs 210 and Ashra shrimp for Rs 110 per kg, he said. He added "Kalri shrimp is being sold at Rs 270-310 per kg, Kiddi shrimp for Rs 80-110 per kg and Ashra shrimp for Rs 60-80 per kg after in the new season".
Similarly, the price of round Maya fish (small) even could not touch its pre-ban mark of Rs 210 per kg and was now being sold for Rs 160-200 per kg. Sheesha Maya fish also being sold, much lower of its past prices of Rs 300 per kg, for Rs 180-200 per kg. The prices of Saram fish was only Rs 210-220 per kg which was selling for Rs 350 per kg in June, Akbar pointed out.
He said in shrimp category, Jaira, Kiddi and Kalri are the key species of the season which he said are a "bumper crop" at average 6-8 inch of size. Maya and Saram are the fish species, which fishermen caught through fishing lines and not in nets.
Talking to Business Recorder on Thursday, President Bona Fide Fishermen and Boats Owners Welfare Association, Asif Bhatti, said the market response is unexpectedly negative for the fishermen with the start of season. He also criticised the officials of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) for not being able to streamline the boats' movements at the harbour's water to make a clear way for vessels lined up to land their catch.
"Boats from Baldia and tiny islands of Keamari are unable to find way to reach the jetty to unload the catch which causing them to take about seven hours to land the seafood," he said. When contacted the officials of KFHA, he said: "The harbour channel would need a bit more time to clear after the big boats begin their journey of the season," adding the fishermen complaints were justified.