TFT CURRENT ISSUE| November 30 - December 06, 2012 - Vol. XXIV, No. 42
Sir,
With domestic catches down by 40 percent, it is least surprising that smuggling of high-valued fish to Iran has slowed down or stopped. But international prices have also declined by 50 percent. This will reflect badly on exports and will result in the loss of valuable foreign exchange. At the same, this lowering of fish prices is not seen in the local market which proves that the situation is not the way it has been reported by the Fisheries Association.
All the low-priced fish which were once regarded as 'junk fish' and ended up in the fish meal drying yards or fed the eagles and vultures with some meagre portion scavenged by the poor Bengalis and Burmese for subsistence are certainly of no interest to Iran. What Iran was after was our tuna, the 'Beefsteak of the Sea'. And that is there no more due to seasonal factors as well as depletion of fishery stocks. Ribbon fish, Indian mackerel and small species of sea breams and croakers are sought after by the Far East and further down South East Asia. These are low priced fish and do not have much bearing on the domestic market changes during winters when local consumption turns high.
Mostly large sized fish such as marine mackerel, tuna, sharks, dogfish, croakers, eels and catfish and fresh water farmed fish find their way to most of the fish eateries in the country who mostly sell them as fried fish. Pomfret, red snapper and sea bass (Gisser) are delicacies and are consumed by the Arabs or the local rich people.
Our fish are not playing the role as food, as much as they should, in fulfilling people's dietary needs.
Mazhar Butt,
Karachi.
Sir,
With domestic catches down by 40 percent, it is least surprising that smuggling of high-valued fish to Iran has slowed down or stopped. But international prices have also declined by 50 percent. This will reflect badly on exports and will result in the loss of valuable foreign exchange. At the same, this lowering of fish prices is not seen in the local market which proves that the situation is not the way it has been reported by the Fisheries Association.
All the low-priced fish which were once regarded as 'junk fish' and ended up in the fish meal drying yards or fed the eagles and vultures with some meagre portion scavenged by the poor Bengalis and Burmese for subsistence are certainly of no interest to Iran. What Iran was after was our tuna, the 'Beefsteak of the Sea'. And that is there no more due to seasonal factors as well as depletion of fishery stocks. Ribbon fish, Indian mackerel and small species of sea breams and croakers are sought after by the Far East and further down South East Asia. These are low priced fish and do not have much bearing on the domestic market changes during winters when local consumption turns high.
Mostly large sized fish such as marine mackerel, tuna, sharks, dogfish, croakers, eels and catfish and fresh water farmed fish find their way to most of the fish eateries in the country who mostly sell them as fried fish. Pomfret, red snapper and sea bass (Gisser) are delicacies and are consumed by the Arabs or the local rich people.
Our fish are not playing the role as food, as much as they should, in fulfilling people's dietary needs.
Mazhar Butt,
Karachi.
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