Subashini K J J
November 11, Chennai
Fish prices in Chennai have increased as climate change, pollution, and overfishing have reduced the population of commercially important fish such as mackerel, tuna, sardines, anchovies, skipjack, and certain species of prawn and crab.
There was a 22% decline in fish catch in 2023 across India, compared to the previous year
and the value of marine fish (both at landing and retail centers) increased, according to data from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
Raj. S, 70, who has been fishing since he was 15 years old near Kasimedu and Besant Nagar said there was a clear decline in the last 10 years.
“Extreme ocean temperature events, also known as marine heatwaves and marine cold spells, exert devastating and irreversible impacts on marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and fishery revenues,” said a study published in the science journal Nature.
Seer, a pelagic fish known as Vanjiram, is one of the most expensive because of its de-
mand in restaurants. Today, its price ranges between Rs 1000 and 1,500 because of the decline in the catch. Sometimes the price touches Rs 2,000 per kg.
“In India, pollution causes eutrophication which in turn results in jellyfish bloom,” said R. Jeyabhaskaran, a scientist from CMFRI who studied the fall in fish population in Tamil Nadu.
Jellyfish destroy the eggs of fish and cause depletion in the fish population, particularly pelagic finfish. These fishes live on the surface of oceans and fall prey to jellyfish, he said. “2.87 lakh tonnes of pe-
lagic finfishes were caught in Tamil Nadu, a decline of 31% from the previous year,” said the annual report of the CMFRI.
About 1.88 lakh tonnes of demersal fish were caught in Tamil Nadu in 2023, a 6% decline from the previous year.
“Demersal fishes, inhabiting the bottom of the sea, have become victims to trawling and ring seine fishing, a method of catching fish using a large net to trap schools of fish,” said Dr.B. Ahilan, the Dean of Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu.