ALOR SETAR (Bernama) – The Kedah Fishermen’s Association (Nekad) has been forced to import about 10 tonnes of frozen marine products to meet supply constraints due to the prolonged hot weather of late.
Nekad chairman, Ahmad Rudin Hussin said the move had to be taken in view of the 50 per cent drop in catches.
The decision to import sea products was the outcome of the association’s meeting association yesterday and is expected to commence by this month’s end, if the hot weather persists, he said.
However, he said Nekad had decided to import sea products from countries that have a low currency value, such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, in view of the ringgit’s steep decline.
The supply of marine products include ‘ikan selar’, ‘selayang’, ‘sardin’, ‘bawal’ as well as prawns and is expected to meet requirements from February to March, depending on weather conditions, he said.
The hot weather has also led to soaring fish prices for example ‘ikan termenung’ which has gone up from RM7 per kilogramme to RM14 per kilogramme.
“When the weather is hot, the water also gets heated up, the fish often escape to the middle of the sea to find a cooler spot, and it is very dangerous to go there under such circumstances,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, Kedah Meteorology Department director, Rosli Zakaria @ Che Kob, said the prevailing El Nino phenomenon has given rise to the hot and dry weather experienced in the northern states at the moment.
He said that between December and March, the weather in the northern states was usually hot and dry.
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