The current weather changes have driven up the retail prices of locally caught fish, a number of Qatari fishing boat owners told local Arabic daily Arrayah.
They stressed that prices have seen a rise of around 20-25% over the past few days due to the shortage in catch, as fishermen were unable to sail during the fluctuating weather conditions.
Ahmed al-Hamili said that when the winds and sea are high, most fishermen would not go on fishing trips. He explained that during the fishing season, which generally starts in October and runs until the start of the next summer season, the prices of fish often drop by 10-20% compared to other times.
Yousef al-Mannai said that he has stopped fishing for many years due to the incurred losses. He said that the whole sale traders buy the fish at low prices from the fishermen and then sell them at very high retail prices, which is more than double the price paid to the fishermen.
Jassim al-Linjawi explained that the high winds affects fishing nets and make fishing unstable, which in turn result in a low catch. Saad al-Mohannadi added that in windy and rainy weather, fishermen would be unable to venture into the sea.
