DOMESTIC fish supply is currently sufficient despite the northeast monsoon season, which could hamper fishermen from going out to sea due to bad weather, the Malaysia Fish Industries General Association said.

Its president Chia Tian Hee said fish catch now is in abundance and suppliers’ freezers are full of stock.

Kuala Lumpur Hoi Seong Fish Wholesalers Association chairman Sing Kian Hock, however, said sales are slow and this could be due to the Japan nuclear wastewater issue

Chia said the past two to three months have been a good catch season for fishermen. 

“Fishermen are currently operating as usual and have not been affected in any way even with the current weather,” he said.

Chia, however, said if the weather worsens then the fishermen will be wary of going out to sea.

“We have enough fish and consumers will not have to worry about the price of fish going up.”

Johor Baru Fish Wholesalers Association president Tai Wah Sun said while the fish catch has been sufficient, consumption, however, has dropped by 30% to 40%, causing many fishmongers and fishermen to complain about sales.

“It may be related to the issue of Japan’s nuclear wastewater, which has scared some consumers into eating less seafood.”

Tai said consumers should not be alarmed as the government has installed a monitoring system in the Sabah waters of East Malaysia to detect radiation levels around the clock.

He said due to poor sales, many fish merchants chose to freeze fresh fish.

“Some merchants’ freezers are full with tens of thousands of tons of catch.”

Sing, meanwhile, said although the northeast monsoon has started, fish exports to Thailand and Indonesia are still high at 60%, while the local haul stands at 40%, so the current stock is sufficient.

“But sales are slow. This is the first time I have seen such a bleak situation at markets after more than 20 years of working in the industry.”

He said sales started to drop by 20% to 30% from August.

Hoi said due to a surplus of stock, some fish have to be sold at a low price.

“The wholesale price of sardines was RM10 per kg, but it has now dropped to RM4. The wholesale price of hardtail fish is now RM4.50 to RM5 per kg compared to the previous price of RM9 to RM9.50.

“Also, the wholesale price of mackerel was RM38 per kilogram before, it has now dropped to RM27 to RM28.”

He said it could be due to the impact of Japan’s nuclear wastewater issue, the economic downturn, the decline in consumer power, the depreciation of the Malaysian ringgit, and the high price of imported fish.

“The rainy season recently has had a great impact on us. When it rains, consumers will not go to supermarkets, markets or night markets to buy fresh food, causing fish sales to plummet.

“Some of my customers say business is very poor. They could sell 200-300kg of fish a day, but now they can only sell 100kg, or even less.”

He said even under such circumstances, there would be no shortage of fish in the market even during the monsoon period.

“For example, if the monsoon affects the fishing volume and reduces it by 20%, our sales will also drop by 20%, so it will be enough to meet the demand.”

The country is expected to usher in the northeast monsoon from mid-November to March next year. – November 13, 2023.