Marine fish prices are soaring in Bengaluru. Triggered by the 61-day ban on deep sea mechanised fishing,the rates have hit the seasonal ceiling and beyond. As supplies into the city are drying up,this season’s price rise of up to 150% has been unprecedented. Late last week,the much-in-demand seer fish was selling for Rs 1,400 a kilogram in markets across the city, before stabilising at about Rs 1,200/kg. Two months ago,the rates hovered around Rs 650. Fish merchants informed that the rates of white pomfret, another delicacy, followed the same pattern. But what raised eyebrows was the unexpected price surge of the awordable’ sardines and mackerels. Sardines hit a record high of Rs 300/kg on Sunday. Consumers could not remember paying more than Rs 200- 220 for this variety, and this too was an inflated price. The ban on mechanised boat fishing, in force all along the East coast from June 1 to July 31, will however not apply to traditional boats, State Fisheries Department director Ramakrishna told DH. The seasonal supply takes a hit every year during this time. Asked why the price surge was more pronounced this year, he cited supply fluctuations based on changing fish migrations, patterns pre- and post-monsoon. These shixing patterns, he said, cannot be predicted. Traditional boats without any propulsion are exempted from the ban. Earlier, mechanised boats were barred for three months to conserve fish during the monsoon breeding season. Faced with loss of business, fishermen had opposed it. A threat to withdraw their diesel subsidy loomed, which eventually led to the 61- day ban. The big, mechanised boats oxen go up to 100 nautical miles into the sea, stocking upwards of 4,000 litres of diesel, 20-30 tons of ice and return to the coast a week to 10 days later. Each boat could hold over 40 tons of fish, explained Gangadhara V Maddikery, former joint director of Fisheries. To make up for the dip in supplies from East coast,the city’s fish traders rely on the West coast, where the fishing ban is imposed later. This year, supplies have been particularly bad. We now source fish from Kadalur in TamilNadu, Vizag and Odisha, said Abdul Abid, a fish merchant at the HAL market. In recent years,the demand for marine fish has increased across the city. Besides private supermarkets, fish is largely sold in the city’s traditional markets in Yeswanthpura, Shivajinagar, Madiwala,HAL and K R Market.