Bad weather also means poor fishing. Nearly a week of strong winds, heavy seas and intermittent rain has had a strong impact on tuna fishing, with prices at all time high in Male’s Fish Market.
On Saturday, an average size tuna was priced between Rf120 and Rf150. A tuna of less than a kilo was sold for about Rf40.
According to “Maa Keyolhuâ€, which buys fresh fish from the Fish Market, the price of fish has been high for nearly a week.
“Fishing in Male atoll is very poor. That’s why fish prices have risen. Now Male atoll fishermen are going to Meemu atoll to fish,†said a Maa Keyolhu official.
According to an official from Dhiffushi, which is one of the best known fishing islands of Male Atoll, fishing has been very poor for the past week.
“This is a period when there is transition to a new season. Every year, in this time of the year, fishing becomes poor. Bad weather is part of the problem,†said the official from the island office.
“There is a fish aggregating device (FAD) in this area. But we can’t catch fish from this area.â€