Fishermen worldwide agree the oceans fish stocks are depleting...but then why is fish costing less?

Question

It seems that at the grocery store fish is costing less and less. I dont understand it. Seafood used to be something I rarely bought because I couldn't afford it (mostly bought chicken or cheaper cuts of beef) Nowadays however, it seems that all kinds of fish are dirt cheap- shrimp, salmon, pollock, calamari...all kinds of seafood cost much less than it used to. Has anyone else noticed this?

Answer 1

Even though fish stocks are depleting in oceans, aquaculture is a burgeoning industry. Basically, it's fish farming: raise a bunch of fish in a small pond, "harvest" them, ship them off to the processing plant, and viola, groceries stocked with seafood. It's all about supply and demand. Aquaculture increases supply dramatically, lowering the price of seafood. "Wild" fish is indeed costing more and more, but for the most part this isn't the stuff you see in your grocery. Compare the cost of 'organic', wild-caught salmon with farm-raised salmon, it will be a sizable difference. All thanks to the 'wonders' of modern aquaculture. But it's also important to note that this practice is devastating to environments where it's practiced, it's some really nasty stuff. Also, it puts pressure on fishermen to catch more to make up for the drop in price which negatively affects their wages, profits, and livelihoods, leading to overfishing and a quicker depleting of fish stocks.

Answer 2

For the most part I agree with the answer by Grover. However, your belief that fish prices are lower is only partly correct. Fish prices are much lower for those species that are raised by the aquaculture industry, and people have been switching their diet to include more of the cheaper fish, so prices and demand for a few species have dropped such as Pollock and cod.

Factors affecting fish prices are extremely complex because of fluctuating economic conditions in different countries, changes in valuation of currency, and regional fluctuations in fish production due to climate variability. The price of a certain type of fish can decrease simply because unemployment rates in some particular nation become so high that the cost of catching fish plummets in the waters fished by that nation.

You can find info on seafood prices at this site:
http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st5/FisheriesDependentData.html

Answer 3

I think it's due to the demand. According to economic principles When the demand is high for certain commodity or product supply will always increase which inturn lessens the cost. When supply reaches peak stage due to the depletion of the natural resourse the price may go high.

Answer 4

I don't KNOW; but perhaps there are toxins in the fish. Have you heard the expression "moderation in everthing"? It might not be very healthy to eat too much......? I have heard you should not take calcium tablets made from sea shells, because of the toxins they absorb in the ocean.