How much does fish and seafood go up in price from the fishing boat to the restaurant table?.
Georgi Dimov-Chicagoto is a long-time fisherman. He told bTV if he would be lucky with the catch.
“Unfortunately, there are very few fish at the moment. The seasons changed, the water warmed up very early and the saffron we catch went deep into cooler waters,” explains fisherman Georgi Dimov.
But warm water and overfishing are some of the main reasons there are fewer and more expensive fish on the market.
“All over the world, fish is an expensive pleasure. It was not like that here years ago, the fish was much cheaper, but now the market is regulated and this thing – it happens according to the quantities and according to the demand. The safrid is cheap, they buy it here for 5-7 BGN, but on the market it is 10-12 BGN. They buy the pop for 12 BGN, and sell it for 14 BGN. And it’s not enough because there are a lot of fish restaurants,” Georgi Dimov is emphatic.
At one of the largest fish markets in Burgas, prices vary from BGN 4 per kilogram of sprat to BGN 40 per kilogram of turbot.
“Customers currently prefer safrid. We have fresh Black Sea saffron at the moment, it’s very nice. A large catch comes out less often, most of it is graza. Right now is the clam season, July-August the shell is at its fullest and best. We get fresh clams every day. Mussels and crabs are the most popular at the moment. We make sure that we have fish for each client, as we have 4-5 BGN fish, we also have 15-20 BGN fish,” explains Zekie Mehmedova.
“It’s too warm for sprats, we only have frozen ones.” Not in every store. Mussels are 4 BGN for many years, saffron is 10 BGN if it is fresh. Fresh popce is sold for 15 BGN. There is also imported fish – such as sea bass and sea bream. Fresh fish is less and less available, and maybe that’s why it’s more expensive,” said merchant Nadia Keller categorically.
And from the market to the plate in the restaurant, the price of seafood jumps double.
However, a vacation on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast cannot be complete without delicious sprats on the beach, most often in combination with potatoes or a cold beer.
“Given that people only rely on one season, I think it’s normal, the prices are higher compared to the interior of the country, but it’s good… it’s still about two or three – everyone can afford it. “Tsatsa with birichka – this is a must when you go to the sea,” commented Ani, a customer at the restaurant.
“It’s delicious, the fish soup is very nice. I prefer to eat fish soup at the sea, because they hardly make it anywhere else in the country”, claims Lubomir, also a customer at the restaurant.
“Two beers with sprats and potatoes with cheese are about BGN 20 here. The markup is minimal. We offer mussels with the shell in our own sauce, offering portions of half a kilogram or a kilogram – BGN 7 for a half, and BGN 15 for a kilogram,” explains restaurateur Nina Baeva.
And yet, the most ordered fish by Bulgarians and foreigners remains the sprat.
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