why is fish so expensive in Perth?
Submitted by old salt on Mon, 2013-03-04 22:33
just out of interest why is fish so expensive in Perth? When ilived in Darwin i could buy jewfish at $20 a kg, when i lived in melbourne recently snapper was about 10 a kg. over here its almost double any idea why? Eye fillet is cheaper to buy!
WA pichards were$4 a kilo yetover here wa pilchards aka mullies are almost 10 a kilo! Does the fishing industry sell most of there catch to other states leaving a very small percentage for us over hear and charge a premium for the slim pickings created or is there some other reason? Can anyone recommend a reasonable place to buy fresh fish SOR?
cheers old salty
____________________________________________________________________________
I fish to feed 
and
Fillet and release when applicable 
carnarvonite
Posts: 8633
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Middleman
Been involved in the fishing game over many years and the price the fisherman gets hasn't changed greatly over the last 20+ years. For instance dhufish would pay around $12-$15 akg, pinky $5- $8 depending on season and now not 100% sure on dhuey but pink snapper landed in Perth from Carnarvon now brings around $10 including transport costs, this price will drop in a couple of months when the snapper season really cranks up dropping to $6- $7
Without all the modern aids that improve catch rates etc, most would be like me, out of it altogether.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
From speaking to a couple of
From speaking to a couple of Pro Fishers down south they say the same thing. The middleman now tacks on a fair bit more. Eg the price they get per kg for say Dhui now is not much higher than in 2000 but the price in the shops has doubled or even tripled.
Correct me if i am wrong but was told its because all the Pros now must sell through these middlemen and cant sell direct to people/shops anymore?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8633
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Supply
The pros can and do sell direct to the public, all they have to do is provide a receipt that states that it came from their boat but now that most boats are not worked by the owner but by a skipper on percentage of catch, the practice is frowned upon because it appears like the crew is short changing the owners , so all gets boxed up and off to the major markets
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Cheers for the clarification
Cheers for the clarification :)
Browndog
Posts: 582
Date Joined: 10/04/12
Very Common
Good question Old Salt, have wondered my self at times. Also see this with meat, I have some relatives in the restaurant business and butchers, they always talk about the price of WA Scotch Fillet (yes, from WA!) being sold retail in Melbourne for way below what they can buy it for wholesale in WA. Doesn't seem to make any sense when you add in the significant transport costs?
BD
GusG
Posts: 547
Date Joined: 07/04/08
because it is Perth. Simple
because it is Perth. Simple as that. When i lived there seeing fish for $40-60kg was not uncommon then moved to melbourne and you can get fish for $10-20kg max.
People in Perth are prepared to pay that much so the shops keep charging it. It is crazy.
old salt
Posts: 133
Date Joined: 25/02/11
Im wondering if its a Kailis
Im wondering if its a Kailis Brothers monopoly on the market here in Perth? its madness when you see tailor fillets being sold for $45 a kg???
I fish to feed
and
Fillet and release when applicable
trymyluck
Posts: 908
Date Joined: 06/05/12
Youve got to be kidding !!
Youve got to be kidding !! $45 kg for tailor. I would love to buy some nice fish but refuse the pay the $ they are asking.If what Carnarnovite and Old salt are saying is correct, then we are definitely being ripped off. Im not a big fish eater but do miss a good feed of qualtiy fish every now and then. I need a boat
Rob H
Posts: 5760
Date Joined: 18/01/12
dont blame the fisherman
is all I can say.
Beware that when you are buying fish for $10-$20 a kilo it may not be what it seems. Nile Perch often sold as barramundi etc.
There is regularly a large ad in the West Australian selling Coral Trout, Snapper, and other fish that sounds local for cheap prices but in the bottom corner barely legible is "imported".
As we know when you "translate" from one language to another it is easy for descriptions to become somewhat "loose". Coral Trout could be very close to "Mekong River blind mullet"
The only wild caught fairly tasty fish at a reasonable price you are likely to get is kiwi caught trawl fish.
Funny thing is though, buying fish costs almost as much as catching your own now!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
sea-kem
Posts: 14895
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Was in Darwin recently Rob.
Was in Darwin recently Rob. And in the pub all the fish meals were labled very clearly imported or local. The price difference was staggering so needless to say I ordered a steak. Considering that the top end gulf is prime prawning grounds all the prawn dishes were imported.
Love the West!
Rob H
Posts: 5760
Date Joined: 18/01/12
yes that is something that
yes that is something that shits me Seakem. To pay $45 for a Surf and Turf and find the prawns are Claytons prawns grown in a turd pond.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
fisharoo
Posts: 297
Date Joined: 02/07/11
Fresh
Fish that aren't frozen costs a lot more than frozen fillets........that's what I was told by a fishmonger due to transportation and processing factors. Put it this way..... It costs me 50 bucks to get from the bloody airport in a cab in Perth and I don't live far. I also know that fish filleters aren't cheap in Perth. So I guess all these costs add up. Hence I'm getting more and more grumpy each day living in Perth.
Cheers
sunshine
Posts: 2563
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Well why is bait grade occy the same price
As eating grade which is $20 kilo - gave up long long ago on bait grade (pink and orrrrible) and order fresh food grade from a seafood retailer and they are making their cut.
Then vacuum pack and freeze for later
Kailis Freo had Dhuie fillets the other day at an extra-ordinary $72 a kilo ........well beyond the average household that is for sure
Longcast
Posts: 123
Date Joined: 07/02/12
Mining and Resources.It costs
Mining and Resources.
It costs a lot to to live in Paradise which is WA.
old salt
Posts: 133
Date Joined: 25/02/11
thats definitely true Rob in
thats definitely true Rob in most cases, but the fis i am talking about is 100% locally caught snapper and jewfish. oh and occy food grade was $10 kg here its 20 plus. i dont blame the fisherman its the cut the middle men are adding on i suspect that is the problem? I near fell over when isaw the price of the tailor fillets!
I fish to feed
and
Fillet and release when applicable
Bakerc
Posts: 61
Date Joined: 07/04/10
Wait until Easter dhufish
Wait until Easter dhufish will be around 90-95/kg. that's what I saw it for at Christmas time, an absolute disgrace.