The Price of Fish

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:29 pm

One might think that the price of fish here in New Zealand would be pretty reasonable considering all the ocean surrounding the two main islands, but such is not the case. Beef, pork & chicken costs less per kg. I am quite fond of Blue Cod an paid $7.80 NZD for fish & chips yesterday. They tell me that over fishing is the cause.

How about the UK. There's lots of ocean around you guys. Any fish left?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 12:49 pm

Lon;1378154 wrote: One might think that the price of fish here in New Zealand would be pretty reasonable considering all the ocean surrounding the two main islands, but such is not the case. Beef, pork & chicken costs less per kg. I am quite fond of Blue Cod an paid $7.80 NZD for fish & chips yesterday. They tell me that over fishing is the cause.

How about the UK. There's lots of ocean around you guys. Any fish left?

The North Sea has been fished out and is unlikely to recover in my lifetime

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:00 pm

Don't ya hate it when that happens?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:47 am

hoppy;1378197 wrote: Don't ya hate it when that happens?

The signs were there for a long time but they ignored them so now we're all paying the price.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:09 pm

Bryn Mawr;1378225 wrote: The signs were there for a long time but they ignored them so now we're all paying the price.

Yes, and the farm raised Talapia fish they are marketing now is a poor substitute.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:15 pm

Lon;1378240 wrote: Yes, and the farm raised Talapia fish they are marketing now is a poor substitute.

There's a lot of farmed salmon in the UK but it is not comparable to the wild fish.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:58 pm

It's a major political issue here, access to our fisheries was one of the prices paid so we could get in to the EEC. The fisheries have been overfished on several occasions in the past, this time it looks like they will not be allowed to recover. It's the same off the american and canadian coasts but there`are`also additional problems off the canadian coast and in tne great lakes caused by pollution that also looks as if it is irreversable.

Farm fishing has been found to cause rather unexpected pollution problems caused by the concentration of fish faeces in the lochs

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:08 pm

We already have things like MOCK CRAB and I suspect that in years to come people will be eating mock salmon, mock lamb, mock whatever, all made from who knows what.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:51 pm

I adore Fish but not Trout for some strange reason.

I am extremely partial to a Turbot and Sea Bass. sadly the cost has just become astronomical and the last time I bought two Turbot fillets for Mr O and my myself, the damage was £21 for the two.

I don't shop at Morrisons but they do have a widely stocked fish department. Once a week, I go In about 6 pm on a week day on the way home and If I am really really lucky, I'll hit the jackpot when they have just done the reducing. otherwise, I simply can not pay those sort of prices and Sea bass these days Is a rare treat for us.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:19 am

The real tragedy about over fishing is the quota system, where boats can only land fish of a certain size and total weight overall per period, whatever that might be.

The nets still take everything indiscriminately, so any undersized (Young) fish are returned to the sea, normally dead.

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:06 pm

All this depressing stuff is true. I can confirm it in a small way from family fishing records where the number and weight of Bass caught declines steadily from the 1960's onward.

There is one bright point I can think of: The No Take Zone round Lundy Island, which apparently is increasing the stock in the Bristol Channel. Certainly in relation to size of Lobsters caught.