The fluctuating weather conditions and the subsequent warnings have hit the availability of fish in the city. Consumers and retailers say even fish such as oil sardine and mackerel are scant. “The prices have been really high since Easter. Only a few fish such as Indian anchovy (kozhuva) are affordable right now. In the past week, seer fish reached C1,200 per kg and sardines crossed C200,” said a customer from Champakkara fish market. According to wholesale dealer Martin, the decrease in fish is mainly due to the climatic conditions. The Fani cyclone warning has caused a great loss for the fisherfolks in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “The catch is largely dependent on the rain received in the sea. When it rains, we get more fish. The current crisis is due to the rise in temperature and warm sea water,” he said. For the past three months, many traditional fishermen have not gone out to the sea due to the lack of fishes. “A major population of fisherfolks in Kerala depends on pelagic fish, especially oil sardines. However, the past seven years have witnessed severe depletion,” said Charles George, convenor of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi. According to him, the catch in 2012 was more than 8 lakh tonnes; of which, 3.9 lakh tonnes were oil sardines. The recent years recorded production at 5 lakh tonnes, but the availability of oil sardines depleted to around 77,000 tonnes. The El Nino effect formed in the West Pacific has led to an increase in temperature in the Arabian sea. Consequently, the schools of fish move to the depths of the sea to escape the rising temperature. The oil sardines available in the markets till April 15 were from Tamil Nadu. As per the study conducted in 2015-16, Dr V Kripa, HOD of Environment division in CMFRI, says the temperature increase and the decrease in planktons or the food are reasons for such a situation. Last week, the price of Indian mackerel rose from C180 to C280, oil sardine from C180 to C240, pearl spot from Rs 400 to Rs 700, anchovy from Rs 100 to Rs 200. However, the fish stall owners say even though the market lacks different types of fish, the rates are coming down.