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The catch collected by a mechanised boat, which was on voyage off Orissa coast when tsunami hit South Asia, being sold at the Visakhapatnam harbour on Monday. — K.R. Deepak

Visakhapatnam , Jan. 3

TSUNAMI has hit sale of fish here with apprehensions that consumption of seafood is injurious to health in the aftermath of the calamity.

Consequently, fish prices have crashed in the local market.

About 30 mechanised boats, which ventured into the sea before tsunami struck South Asia on December 26, returned to the fishing harbour here with a good catch of five tonnes but their hopes of getting a good price remained short-lived.

"We did not feel the impact of tsunami as we were in mid-sea in Orissa coast at the time when monstrous tidal waves hit several towns and cities. We returned today and to our surprise found that there are no takers for our catch," one of the crew members said.

A few middlemen who came to the fishing harbour on Monday offered an all-time low price stating that due to `various rumours,' the consumption of sea fish had come down drastically.

Enquiries revealed that before tsunami there was heavy demand for cheap quality fish. But during the past two days, gulivendalu and gorasulu and other miscellaneous fish fetched them Rs 9 instead of Rs 15 to Rs 16 per kilo.

"Rumours emanating in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have created havoc here. Only one-fifth of our regular buyers turned up today. We are already hit by slump in the sale of shrimp. Now they are offering Rs 70-Rs 80 for a basket full of cheap fish, which used to fetch us nearly Rs 200 before tsunami," the Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators' Welfare Association General Secretary, Mr Satyanarayana Murthy, said.

He said there was no substance in rumours that fish caught after tsunami would be toxic. "We don't think tsunami has anything to do in Vizag and Orissa coasts from where we get our catch. Hence, people lend credence to rumours," he said.

The fishing industry is already facing a rough weather due to declining price of Indian shrimp in the international market. Of 600 mechanised boats based at Visakhapatnam, only 250 are under operation. Increasing diesel price had also hit the industry very hard despite subsidy being given by the State Government, a boat operator, said.

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