An unusually abundant bonito season has sent prices of palamut, one of Türkiye’s most popular autumn fish, tumbling in Istanbul, with supermarket chains selling whole fish for 39.90 lira and shoppers emptying crates within hours, Hürriyet reported on Oct. 15.
Supermarket chains Migros and CarrefourSA both offered palamut at 39.90 lira per fish. Migros, which ran its campaign from Oct. 12 to 14, said it sold 3 million fish on Oct. 12 and 13 alone. In some stores, according to one market official, 2,000 fish sold out within hours, and shoppers arriving at midday found empty crates. Some customers said they were buying extra to freeze for the winter.
Fishmongers struggle to match
At traditional fish stalls, prices are higher. In Şile, on Istanbul’s Black Sea coast, palamut weighing 600 to 800 grams was selling for 50 lira each, while stalls elsewhere in the city charged between 100 and 250 lira. At the Kartal fish market, vendors were selling at 100 lira and said their margins were thin. One fishmonger said that when the season opened, a 300-gram palamut fetched 150 lira, while fish of 800 to 900 grams now go for 100 lira.
Fishmongers said they cannot compete with supermarket prices because of their own costs, and some predicted that fish at these prices would disappear within 15 to 20 days.
A dispute over a pause
The glut has also divided the fishing sector. The Istanbul union of seafood harvesters called for a pause in palamut fishing, arguing that fishermen were selling for around 30 lira a fish while intermediaries stockpiled and resold at much higher prices. The national central union of seafood harvesters’ associations, DEM-BİR, opposed any pause. The Istanbul union later said its position had been misunderstood and that its aim was to stop profiteering.
A seasonal favourite
Palamut, the Atlantic bonito, migrates between the Black Sea and the Aegean through the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, and autumn is its peak season. It is a staple of Istanbul fish restaurants and home kitchens from September to December, usually grilled, baked or served as a sandwich.
For residents and visitors, the season is a chance to buy fresh fish cheaply. Fish markets such as those in Kadıköy, Beşiktaş and Kartal, and stalls along the Bosphorus, typically sell palamut whole and will clean it on request. Prices vary widely by size, so shoppers are advised to compare per-fish and per-kilogram prices before buying.
Sources
Photo: William Neuheisel from DC, US / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
