White or silver pomfret (Pampus argenteusa), a pricey delicacy among seafood gourmets, which had been conspicuously missing from the Tangasseri traditional fishing harbour here for many years has now made a comeback. For the past few days, rich harvests of the fish are landing at the harbour bringing good income to the fishermen. Fishermen recall that silver pomfrets used to be a seasonal common variety at the traditional fish landing sites of Kollam in the past. But for the past eight to ten years, the fish reached the harbour only rarely. This had even given rise to fears whether silver pomfrets had gone extinct in their traditional habitats off the Kollam waters. But during the past one week, huge quantities of the fish are being harvested and brought to the harbour and on rough calculations the fish harvest is fetching around Rs.1 lakh at the Vaddy auction hall of the harbour during the early morning hours alone. The fish with flat bodies and deeply forked tails mainly go to the local table than export. Easy to cook Gourmets say silver pomfret are ideal for delicacies such as fish molee and Thai and Chinese recipes. Preparing and cooking them is also very easy. This fish also has the reputation of being low in calories and fat and rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Senior fishermen remember silver pomfrets each weighing about 4 kg to 5 kg being harvested in the past. But the ones that are landing now are comparatively small taking about six big ones to touch a kilogram. The rich landings of silver pomfrets have pepped up the Tangasseri harbour since the fish are selling like hot cakes.
2016, The Hindu