GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
Facing fish shortage in the markets? Why not try frozen fish? That’s the question fish-loving Goans and vendors come across as they descend at Goa’s lone wholesale fish market here every morning.
For, while the supply of fish from the jetties have come to a halt with the ban on mechanized fishing coming into force from June 1 and import of fresh fish from the country’s east coast, from Andhra and Tamil Nadu dependent on the landings there, insulated containers laden with frozen fish head to the wholesale fish market.
Right from mackerels to sardines to other variety of fish such as “Dodiem’ in corrugated boxes have made their presence felt in the wholesale fish market as the insulated vehicles from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu besides small quantities coming from the fish processing industries in Goa.
Sources in the fish industry said that frozen fish has still not become a hit with fish vendors or the fish loving people till date. The demand for frozen fish is directly related to the availability of fresh fish in the market. If the supply of fresh fish coming from Andhra and Tamil Nadu is on a higher side, demand for frozen fish is always on the decline. This is basically attributed to the preference of Goans to fresh fish over frozen fish.
Though fish from Andhra and Tamil Nadu is transported to Goa by road and rail in crates stacked with ice, people prefer this imported fish over the frozen fish, for the simple reason they consider the imported fresh.
Says M Ibrahim, president of Goa Wholesale fish market Association: “It’s now a couple of years that frozen fish had made its presence felt in the Goan market, but the demand is directly related to the availability of fresh fish. Right now, the lone Goan wholesale fish market has been receiving steady supply of mackerels, sardines, vellios from Andhra and Tamil Nadju. Besides, Goa receives fish such as sole fish (mordohe) from neighbouring Maharashtra”, he said.
To a question whether the frozen fish comes from the Cuncolim Industrial estate, which plays host to half a dozen fish processing units, Ibrahim said while local unit owners have brought their frozen produce in the market, frozen fish have also come in from Karnataka and Maharashtra this year.
A visit to the wholesale fish market on Tuesday revealed that both fresh fish brought from the Country’s east coast and frozen fish stacked in boxes were available for sale. Inquiries have revealed that a couple of trucks had imported mackerels, vellios, besides sardines from Andhra and Tamil Nadu, while the frozen fish was brought by insulated vehicles from local fish processing units and from across the border.
Sources said supply of fish in the wholesale fish market has come down drastically since June 1 with the local fishing vessels dropping anchor at the fishing jetties. The new fishing season will kick start on August 1, after a 61 day break.
