January 3, 2005

Seafood Drops Off The Menu In Sri Lanka

Seafood has disappeared off Sri Lankan dinner tables, with people fearful of eating fish that may have been feeding on corpses that were washed out to sea by last week's tsunami, shopkeepers said on Sunday.

Fish markets were virtually closed in the capital Colombo, while supermarkets sold only canned tuna, salmon and mackerel imported from South American states. The main fish wholesale market was deserted although stocks were on offer.

"There is fish coming into the market from trawlers that are returning, some after spending three weeks at sea," WS Dharmawardene, supervisor at the main St John's Fish Market here, told reporters.

"But there are no takers. People have stopped eating fish. There are large stocks of fish in cold storage. Nothing is selling. There is a fear among consumers that big fish must have been feeding on the corpses that were washed into the sea."

'People have stopped eating fish'

A large number of fishermen who were out at sea in their trawlers only discovered the tragedy that has claimed almost 30 000 lives when they returned to the devastated coast.

The lack of demand has seen fish prices plunge, dealing another blow to fishermen who have lost their homes.

Seafood is a staple for most Sri Lankans and despite the country being an island, it is a net importer of seafood because of the heavy consumption.