Sardine price may ease with purchase from outside Kerala

Oil sardine scarcity in Kerala leads to high prices, but import from neighboring states may ease situation soon.

Oil sardine continued to sell around ₹400 a kg on Thursday with the fish remaining scarce in Kerala. While price rise and scarcity combined to force sardine afficionados keep their favourite fish away from dining tables, import from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra may help ease the situation, say fishermen.

With the annual trawling ban ending in Tamil Nadu, southern Kerala districts are taking advantage of sardine availability in some of the fishing harbours in the neighbouring State. A small quantity of sardines being caught in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the southern tip of Maharashtra are also making their way to Kerala. The flow is expected to increase in the coming weeks, said Charles George of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi, an independent fishermen’s union here.

Antony Kurishinkal in Alappuzha said fish landings along the Alappuzha, Ernakulam, and Thrissur coast had not been substantial despite nearly a fortnight of rain this season. He said sardine catch had been limited, though the season is basically associated with sardine and shrimp fisheries.

Sardine was now being brought in small quantities from Ratnagiri, Cuddalore, Karakkal and Machilipatnam, said Mr. George. He said fishermen in north Kerala appeared to be enjoying better prospects as there were reports of sardine catch from some of the fish landing centres there.

A fisherman in Chellanam said on Thursday that many small boats were still docked and they had not yet gone to sea despite the rain promising better catch. The demand for oil sardines has shot up with the annual trawling ban in force in the State. The general scarcity has been accentuated with poor landings of smaller fish like sardines, mackerel and anchovies as well as shrimps.