The T&T Guardian visited various markets in central and east Trinidad and Port-of-Spain and spoke with fish vendors about the high price of fish.
We discovered that the fish in greater demand–snapper, kingfish and carite–were all priced at around $40 a pound. The vendors said they were not making any major profit from selling these fish and complained that sales had been slow but hoped they would pick up closer to Easter.
At the Chaguanas market, vendor Fiaz Jhangir gave us a breakdown of the retail and wholesale prices:
FISH: RETAIL PRICE, WHOLESALE PRICE
King fish: $40/pound $35/pound
Snapper: $30/pound $22-$23/pound
Cro Cro: $12/pound $8/pound
Shark : $15/pound $9/pound
Salmon: $30/pound $25/pound
Cavalli: $20/pound $13-$16/pound
Carite: $40/pound $35/pound
Bosch: $25/pound $16-$18/pound
Tuna: $20/pound $15/pound
Shrimp: $30/pound $25/pound, but can increase depending on size
Cascadura: $20/pound $15/pound
Mixed fish: Four pounds for $20 $2.50/pound
Vendor Stephen Balroop caters to consumers who prefer saltfish or smoked herring, and sells those at about $20 a pound, after he purchases at the wholesale price of $18 per pound.
At the Tunapuna market, vendor Neville Maharaj confirmed the prices given by Jhangir. He also had moonshine on sale at $20 per pound. He said consumers in Tunapuna buy more cavalli and cro cro.
In Port-of-Spain, Prince Street vendors Shawn Daniel and Vijai Mahabir also confirmed the prices. However at lower Prince Street, vendor Rudy Mohommed makes carite, salmon and tuna a little more affordable to customers, selling salmon at $15 per pound, while carite and tuna are $35.
