Why is fish so expensive [in one place in Howth]?

tricky D

Fuinseog wrote: »

I understand there will be a different price between chipper and restaurant, but I think 14 euro must more than enough to charge if you are sitting down. the two places are connected to Beshoffs as far as i know.

I wonder would fish be as expensive if you went to a small Spanish or Italian fishing village?
Fish is expensive in this country and it would seem many folks here are willing to pay top dollar.

The 2 Beshoffs are not connected. Ivans on the pier is run by Alan Beshoff, the chipper chain using the Beshoffs name was sold by the family many moons ago.

As for expensive restaurant fish and chips, you should shop around more. There's great value non-chipper fish and chips available for less than €12, sometimes €10 in Howth. Cod and chips is in high demand with not so good a supply, so prices tend to be higher than expected.

There's is one famous and long-established restaurant however, which charges a fortune for its dishes, often around twice or more, the going rate.

As for Cod mis-labelling, that's nothing unique to Howth. If you want good fresh Cod, you can get the stuff from the Irish Sea but only in certain seasons and they'll be small portions. The larger and all-year-round Cod comes from northern waters. In both cases, you'll pay for it. While the mis-labelling is bad practice which I don't condone, they can get away with it as most people really don't know the small and subtle differences between Cod, Coalie and Pollack.

Ironically, fish like Hake is quite expensive in Howth. It can be up to €10/kg compared to town with prices sometimes as low as €6/kg. Another irony is the availability of many types of fish which we just never eat in Ireland, yet they are much sought after on the Continent. Velvet crabs were one we talked about last night.

Another reason for the expense is simply that much less fish is landed in Howth compared to 20-30 years ago when there could be well over 50 offshore boats compared to maybe 10 max these days. So supply low, means price high.

Shop around and experiment more, the good value is there.

Seanchai

Fuinseog wrote: »

true, very true but when you are with Irish people you cannot appear stingy and they did not want to leave. they found it expensive but accept it.

Ha! Would that the ridiculous number of tight-fisted overpaid leeches I repeatedly encounter in this country would share your conscientiousness on this point.

Fuinseog

Fuinseog wrote: »

I do have a lidl rod

I'd say you'd need a big one to catch cod.

_feedback_

Judging by your OP edit, I see whoever changed the thread title has left you reeling OP




:pac:

RDM_83 again

Feisar wrote: »

Get them fresh (alive) gut them and put them on a BBQ high of the heat as they will go on fire due to the oil content. Serve with home made chips. Heaven.

I think if my GF found me killing eels in the the sink she'd have a fit (from what i remember Eels are tough buggers to kill!)

later12

RDM_83 again wrote: »

I think if my GF found me killing eels in the the sink she'd have a fit (from what i remember Eels are tough buggers to kill!)

Have you ever seen them cooking?

I'll never forget hopping down to our kitchen one evening, seeing what was for supper to see these... snakes, as I believed... writhing and trashing around like angry lizards in a pan. Apparently they were dead, it was just something to do with their nerves firing, but it scared the bejaysus out of me.

Dangerous Man

Has this been fixed yet?

TwoShedsJackson

Fuinseog wrote: »

I wonder would fish be as expensive if you went to a small Spanish or Italian fishing village?
Fish is expensive in this country and it would seem many folks here are willing to pay top dollar.

What would it cost you to get to a small Spanish or Italian fishing village from Howth? Just in case you think of jetting off in search of some cheap herring.

Gloomtastic!

You can buy a kilo of mussels for €3.50 in Molloys. Most excellent value! :-)

Chinasea

The seas have been totally over fished, the dog on the street knows that. Hunt them down til they too are extinct and moan that they have become too expensive on the race to the bottom.

Do we have to eat fish? do we really have to? Any chance they could be left alone?

Cienciano

Chinasea wrote: »

The seas have been totally over fished, the dog on the street knows that. Hunt them down til they too are extinct and moan that they have become too expensive on the race to the bottom.

Do we have to eat fish? do we really have to? Any chance they could be left alone?

But they taste nice

Fuinseog

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

What would it cost you to get to a small Spanish or Italian fishing village from Howth? Just in case you think of jetting off in search of some cheap herring.

maybe some of you were on holiday in such places and could inform whether or not fish was expensive?

Capt'n Midnight

bhamsteve wrote: »

Mackerel is a very healthy food, providing essential fats, and costs virtually nothing so I try to eat it regularly.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2012/03/06/00020.asp

Mackerel is the most valuable fish stock for the Irish fishing fleet and prices for it are at an all time high, between €1,400 and €2,000 per tonne.

So anything over €2/kg is profit

The Faroe Islands and Iceland have a share of north-eastern Atlantic quota for mackerel that was agreed between the nations and the EU at 6% of the total allowable catch in the north-east Atlantic. Unfortunately, they are now harvesting a further 300,000 tonnes per annum over and above the agreement, 45% of the TAC in this fishery, or six times the agreed allowance. Putting that in context, the Irish mackerel quota is about 68,000 tones.

The mackerel fishery is worth €125 million in a €1 billion fishing industry. It is a cause of huge concern for the present industry and, if it continues, the danger exists that the sustainable mackerel stock will be wiped out in the north-east Atlantic because of overfishing by these two nations. The breach of the fisheries agreements may cost the Irish fishing industry between €10 million and €15 million in potential TAC adjustments. Abusing the quotas in this way by breaking all international agreements on mackerel quotas can be regarded only as modern day piracy.

so looks like mackerel will go the way of cod

thing is once the fish are gone the seas will fill with jellyfish and squid and other icky things