Abundance of fish across Turkey drives down prices at fishmonger stalls
With a bountiful fishing season, bonito prices have declined, and this abundance has also reflected as lower prices on the tags of other seafood such as anchovies, sardines, and salmon.
The abundance of fish this season in Turkey has significantly reduced bonito prices in particular, while also leading to a noticeable decrease in the price tags of other fish species in markets and grocery stores.
Bonito Prices at the Stalls
While Turkey is experiencing a great abundance in the fishing season this year, the bounty of bonito has directly reflected on the prices at the stalls. Bonito is generally finding buyers for between 100 and 150 lira per fish this season.
At the Üsküdar Fishermen's Market, bonito prices vary depending on size and type. While prices hover between 150 and 200 lira at some stalls, this figure drops down to 100 lira during promotional sales, with some fishmongers selling 4 bonitos for 500 lira.
Fishmongers' Price Evaluations
İsmet Yıldırım, an employee at Halikarnas Fisheries, emphasized that bonito has been very abundant this year and stated that prices could drop even further as the weather gets colder.
Celal Azder, an employee at Kardelen Fisheries, noted that anchovies, which were 500 lira per kilogram on September 1st, have dropped to 200 lira today, and sardines, which normally reach 500 to 600 lira outside of the season, are now being sold for 250 lira.
Price Reductions in Supermarkets
The impact created by the bonito abundance was not limited to neighborhood markets and clearly reflected on supermarket stalls as well. Price comparisons showed that single bonitos are sold between 60 and 70 lira in supermarkets.
During the same period, the price of Norwegian salmon dropped from 850 lira to 550 lira, while sea bream decreased to 300 lira and sea bass dropped to 600 lira.