Fish vendors rake in paltry $16,400 due to bad weather, low turnout

FISH vendors raked in a paltry $16,400 at the 'Sales of Fisheries Product', a significant drop from a similar event held in May this year.

Unfavourable weather and a decline in participation of fish vendors in the most recent three-day event contributed to the significant drop in sales, the department said in a statement e-mailed to The Brunei Times yesterday.

Poor weather condition also deterred the public from coming to the event, the statement added.

The three-day event, which ended on Monday at the Fish Landing Complex (FLC) in Muara, was aimed at providing operators with a venue to showcase products from all three fisheries sectors: aquaculture, seafood processing and capture fisheries.

Commercial fish vendors participating in the 'Sales of Fisheries Product' experienced a slow start during the first of the three-day event, but vendors were optimistic that sales will improve before the sale ends.

Acting Director of Fisheries Abd Halidi Salleh, previously told The Brunei Times that the department had not set any sales target but is hoping that commercial fish operators would take advantage of the event.

"We just want them to make use of this initiative and get some profit for themselves."

During the May edition, fish vendors raked in a total of $51,708.10.

The event marked the second series of sales conducted by the Fisheries Department and the eighth since it was introduced in May 2009.

Fresh seafood such as fish, prawns and cuttlefish, aquaculture products such as seabass, pompano and crabs were sold in one section during the event while another focused on salted, dried and smoked fish, seafood crackers, belacan (dried shrimp paste) and other varieties of processed seafood products.

The Brunei Times