The recent record flood season that hit the peninsular east coast seems to have an unforeseen side-effect: since early January, fishermen off the coast of Kedah have been reporting up to a threefold increase in their catches of ikan kembung, or mackerel, sending the market price of the fish to about RM1 per kilogramme.
The fish, already a lower budget option for most consumers, has become even more affordable due to the weather-induced windfall in trawls.
Usually, fishermen in the area would haul in between 600 and 800 kilogrames of ikan kembung every day; since the weather pattern changed, they’ve been coming home with up to 2,000 kilogrammes per boat every day, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.
The Kuala Kedah fishing platform has been crowded from 6am every morning for the past week with customers eager to buy bulk at a discount, while prices remain low.
Fisherman Mahadi Mohammad told Harian Metro that even though mackerel hauls have improved, catches of prawn and cuttlefish have dropped, raising the prices for those delicacies.
“Good weather conditions have made us fishermen a satisfying profit, but there’s no telling when the weather will change up again,” he said.
There’s also no telling what the market price for ikan kembung will be here in KL once the fish has been trucked all the way down to the city’s wholesale hubs, but with a baseline of RM1 a kilo, we’ll take it. Start frying!
