Severe fish shortage hits Kerala: Sardine prices soar to ₹360/kg, mackerel touches ₹400/kg
Thoppumpady (Kerala): The Arabian Sea and Kerala’s inland backwaters are witnessing an unprecedented drought in fish stocks. The July-to-September window typically accounts for 40% of the state’s total annual fish yield, a period when surface species such as Indian oil sardine, Indian mackerel and trevally are landed in high volumes. However, production has dropped precipitously this season, with modest catches reported only in localised pockets of Alappuzha and Kozhikode.
Mechanised trawl operators who ventured out with high expectations following the lifting of the annual trawling ban have returned largely empty-handed. Inland traditional fishers confirm a similar decline in backwater species.
El Nino and juvenile fishing blamed
Scientists attribute the yield collapse in coastal waters to the Super El Nino phenomenon. Concurrently, fishers' unions and boat owners point to the illegal harvest and trade of juvenile fish. Joseph Xavier Kalappurakal, general secretary of the Federation of Fishing Boats, stated that approximately 6,000 truckloads of juvenile fish were illegally transported out of Kerala last year alone.
Jackson Pollayil, state president of the Kerala Swatantra Matsyathozhilali Federation, demanded immediate state intervention to stop tonnes of juvenile fish from being trucked to Tamil Nadu for fishmeal and fertiliser production. Leaders emphasized that destroying juvenile stocks deprives the marine ecosystem of breeding populations. Given the economic hardship, Charles George, state president of the Matsyathozhilali Aikya Vedi, urged the state government to sanction a financial relief package for affected fishers.
Diminishing sizes, soaring prices
The shortage has sent retail prices soaring across local markets. In Kochi's coastal belts, sardines are retailing for as high as ₹360 per kilogram, with inland prices running even higher. Good-quality, full-sized sardines and mackerels have virtually disappeared from catches; smaller-grade mackerels are currently selling between ₹300 and ₹400 per kg.
Natholis (anchovies) have touched ₹200 per kg, while Naran Chemeen (Indian white prawns) reached ₹500 per kg due to poor marine landings, with even small prawn varieties fetching ₹150–200 per kg. Premium backwater species such as Kanambu (mullet), Karimeen (pearl spot) and Chemballi (red snapper) range between ₹600 and ₹800 per kg. Among high-end marine catches, Avoli (pomfret) has reached ₹1,000 per kg, Neymeen (seer fish) ranges from ₹1,200 to ₹1,400 per kg and freshwater tilapia has registered a price surge of over 50%.