GOOD FRIDAY: COLDIRETTI PUGLIA, MORE FISH ON PUGLIA TABLES BUT IT COSTS EXPENSIVELY
Increases of 39% for sea bream, 31% for farmed sea bass and sea bass, 19% for turbot and 55% for mantis shrimp
For Good Friday, the people of Puglia will respect the religious traditions of Easter, with fish being a must on the tables despite the high prices that weigh on the shopping cart, reducing the purchasing power of families. This was reported by Coldiretti ImpresaPesca Puglia, on the occasion of the Holy Week food rites, based on the findings of fish prices in fishmongers in March 2024, compared to the prices of December 2023 recorded by the Pugliese Institute for Consumption, with increases in 3 months by 31% for farmed sea bass and sea bass, by +44% for squid, by +55% for mantis shrimp, by +39% for sea bream, by +19% for turbot, but defrosted cuttlefish have also increased by +49%.
The choice of local “short supply chain” products guarantees freshness and quality but choose millet fish 0 it also helps to support a fishing and aquaculture sector which involves – specifies Coldiretti Impresapesca Puglia – around 1,500 boats, affected by the green follies of the EU such as the new regulation on controls which imposes the obligation to have on board electronic monitoring systems distance, including closed circuit cameras, up to the ban of the trawling system and the restriction of fishing areas with cuts of up to 30% of the current ones. The top ten production is led by anchovies, followed by clams, sardines, hake, white prawns, cuttlefish, corn on the cob, mullet, swordfish, gurnard and horse mackerel.
The fishing and aquaculture sector in Puglia – says Coldiretti Puglia – is worth 225 million euros, according to CREA data, with a fleet operating along the Apulian coasts made up of 1,455 boats which represents 12.3% of the national total, 10 .5% of the tonnage and 12% of the engine power, with the suitable areas of Manfredonia, Molfetta, southern Barese, Salento, where the most important catch consists of prawns, scampi, cod, in addition to offshore sea bass farms, croaker and sea bream.
In order not to fall into the traps of the market in a situation in which the vast majority of fish on sale come from abroad, Coldiretti’s advice is to look at the label on the counter where the production method must be specified (“caught”, ” caught in fresh waters”, “farmed…”), the type of gear being caught and the capture or production area (Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, also through a drawing or map). As regards frozen fish, there is an obligation to indicate the freezing date and in the case of fish products frozen before sale and subsequently sold defrosted, the name of the food is accompanied by the designation “thawed”. To guarantee quality, fresh fish – recalls Coldiretti – must also have flesh with a firm and elastic consistency, red or pinkish and moist gills and eyes that are not dry or opaque, while the smell must not be strong and unpleasant . Finally, it is better not to choose fish that have already had their heads and fins mutilated, while – continues Coldiretti – for molluscs and mussels, it is essential that the shell is closed. A trend that impacts the choices at the table of Italians who eat around 28 kilos of fish a year – concludes Coldiretti – above the European average although decidedly less than other countries with a similar coastline, such as Portugal, where almost 60 kilos are consumed, practically double.
A crisis in the fishing sector, which has been dragging on for 30 years – notes Coldiretti Puglia – in a market, that of fish consumption, which is increasing, but increasingly in the hands of imports. Fish production resulting from fishing activity has been declining for years and that from aquaculture remains stable, failing to compensate for the market gaps created by traditional capture activity. A rebirth that passes through the fishermen’s market and on which Coldiretti is committed, organizing initiatives in the Campagna Amica markets which aim at the direct sale and traceability of the catch.
THE SECRETS FOR CHOOSING FRESH FISH
- Purchase it, where possible, directly from the producer who guarantees the freshness of the catch.
- Check the label on the counter, which by law must indicate the fishing area
- Check that the meat has a firm and elastic consistency, that the gills have a red or pink color and are moist and the eyes are not dry or opaque, while the smell must not be strong and unpleasant.
- For mollusks and mussels, it is essential that the shell is closed.
- For prawns, check that their heads are not blackened
- Better not to choose fish that have already had their heads and fins mutilated.
Source: Coldiretti – Impresapesca.
