Freshwater Fish Prices Hit a Cold Snap in Winter: What Will the Market Look Like Later?

As winter arrives, temperatures have dropped noticeably across many regions, and this chill has cooled down the aquatic product wholesale market. Recently, freshwater fish market prices have also fluctuated to varying degrees, with most fish varieties beginning to drop in price.

The weather has turned cold, so why have freshwater fish prices also cooled down? And what will the market look like later?

Recently, as cold air moved southward, many places in the south saw temperature drops. At the Yangdong Aquatic Product Wholesale Market in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, reporters learned that because the temperature dropped, supply channels were affected, and the wholesale prices of freshwater fish fell accordingly. Aquatic product wholesaler Jiang Fulin:

Jiang Fulin: Sea bass 17 yuan, sturgeon 17 yuan, pomfret 8 yuan, tench 14 yuan.

Reporter: Compared with the previous two months, have prices risen or fallen?

Jiang Fulin: They have fallen. I can't say exactly, but business is not easy right now, business is sluggish, so prices have dropped.

Local aquatic product wholesalers told reporters that since November, as reservoirs and lakes in major production areas have successively opened for fishing, the volume of freshwater fish coming to market has increased noticeably, so market prices have also declined somewhat. Farmer's market aquatic product shop owner Wu Kou:

Reporter: Why have they fallen?

Wu Kou: Sometimes they rise, sometimes they fall. After a period of rising, they will fall after a while. If fish from outside enter the market, prices will drop.

Recently, lakes and reservoirs in the north have also continued to increase fishing, and freshwater fish prices have also declined. Yang Hongru, a freshwater fish dealer in Jimsar County, Xinjiang:

Yang Hongru: Carp has dropped. Carp sells for 17. Because it is winter, it is not easy to raise fish in winter, and the profit is also smaller.

Shi Qingcai, an analyst at the Beijing Shuitun Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market, told reporters that recently, the volume of northern freshwater fish coming to market has increased noticeably. Although prices have declined somewhat, demand is also relatively stable.

Shi Qingcai: At present, the main production areas are still mainly Hebei and Tianjin. This year, the proportion of freshwater fish farmed in Tianjin's water areas is somewhat larger than that of marine fish. From the current situation, the market for freshwater fish and the entire aquatic product sector is basically showing a stable-to-weak trend. At present, the prices of several kinds of freshwater fish are moving downward, such as carp, grass carp, and crucian carp. These three kinds of freshwater fish have relatively large market volumes, and the overall freshwater fish market is about 8% lower than last year.

Judging from the annual pattern, after October 1, freshwater fish prices usually see a small downward movement, only this year's decline is somewhat larger than last year's. Shi Qingcai told reporters that besides weather reasons, there is also the factor of expanded farming areas.

Shi Qingcai: The reason is that this year the water area for farming freshwater fish in Tianjin increased compared with last year, leading to a reversal in prices this year. Last year, the freshwater fish market was better. Affected by last year's market, farmers expanded the freshwater fish farming area, and combined with a bumper harvest, this year's prices are lower than in previous years.

The analyst said that in the short term, over the next half month to one month, freshwater fish markets in various places will not see major fluctuations again. However, as the main production areas later shift from north to south, transportation costs will increase, and combined with the effect of festivals, northern freshwater fish market prices may still rise slightly.

Shi Qingcai: Later, as winter begins, the production areas for freshwater fish will gradually shift from Tianjin and Hebei to Shandong, Jiangsu, Hubei, and other places. The transportation distance to these three places will increase, so transportation costs will also rise. Therefore, later freshwater fish prices will also welcome a new small sales peak, and prices will naturally rise slightly along with it.