The shortage of "ikan kembung" or Indian mackerel supply at fish landing jetties nationwide has caused the price of the fish to be unstable and quite costly of late, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministrer Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

He said observations done at fish landing jetties revealed that the price of the fish had indeed risen to RM12 per kilogramme.

"If there is a shortage of the fish at the landing jetties, we have to admit that the price will definitely go up, so it is difficult for me to force the fishermen to sell at normal prices because they had sailed further, faced rough sea conditions, spent more time and energy, used more fuel for their boats... not to mention other risks and dangers they had to face to bring the fish to the jetties."

He told reporters this after checking the gotong-royong programme at the Gelombang Nelayan Nasional (GNN) 2017 site at the Kuala Kerteh beach, Terengganu today.

Shabery, who is also Kemaman MP, said wholesale and retail fishmongers were also facing certain risks and would definitely work out their profit margin, hence the increase in the price of fish sold to consumers.

"It's already October and the monsoon season is coming with its rough seas, and since the price of Indian mackerel is on the rise, there is a possibility that the price of other fish will also go up," he said, adding that, right now, there was no technology that could enable Indian mackerel to be bred in fish farms like the species of barramundi or tilapia, which may stabilise the price at all times.

- Bernama