KUWAIT CITY, Jan 2: The Fish Market recorded remarkable price hikes at the beginning of the year; especially the local fish, reports Al- Seyassah daily. The daily’s staff, who toured the Fish Market on the first day of the year, noticed the scarcity of fish and the merchants attributed this to the lack of rain; which made the species that flood seasonally decrease in noticeable proportions, in addition to the suspension of shrimp fishing until August. Fish trader Nasser Bawi told the daily that rainfall is beneficial for both the sea and land; hence, the lack of rain led to the scarcity of fish in general, which in turn led to an increase in prices. He disclosed that the fish available locally include Zubaidi ( (Silver Pomfret), which now costs KD16 per kilogram for the large size and KD12 for the small ones. He added the price of a kilogram of bulul (Bulu Barb) reached KD8, KD3 for ‘shaman’ and KD4.5 for squid.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti Fishermen Union confirmed the lack of fish due to the forced cessation of many fishing trips after the subsidized diesel ran out. At the time, the union asked the Subsidies Committee: “Who is responsible for paralyzing the fishing sector? We call on the concerned officials to clarify the issue, as it seems that no one is keen on supporting the sector and solving its problems.”

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Municipality has approved the Ministry of Finance’s request to allocate a site measuring 750 square meters in Salmiya, which is currently occupied by the Fish Market. The Department of Legal Affairs at Kuwait Municipality explained that the Ministry of Finance is the only public institution authorized to utilize state properties by the applicable regulations. The municipality’s role is limited to providing technical opinions on the allocation of public properties for a specific purpose.

By Inass Awadh
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff