Ridiculous seafood prices

[faker]

Has anyone seen how ridiculous seafood prices are? I was walking past fishmonger and can't help noticed that they were selling a silver bream for $26 per kilo and flathead for around$28. At this rate fishing for a feed is cheaper then buying and I get my entertainment out of my hobby

Edited November 9, 2023 by faker

[JustJames]

56 minutes ago, faker said:

Has anyone seen how ridiculous seafood prices are? I was walking past fishmonger and can't help noticed that they were selling a silver bream for $26 per kilo and flathead for around$28. At this rate fishing for a feed is cheaper then buying and I get my entertainment out of my hobby

 

That's still cheaper than fish you catch.

 

Those free meals are prolly the most expensive food you can eat!

[faker]

2 hours ago, JustJames said:

 

That's still cheaper than fish you catch.

 

Those free meals are prolly the most expensive food you can eat!

If u include labour sure 

 

[Little_Flatty]

@faker we've beaten this one to death in the past, but fishing is a very expensive way of getting your fish (except unless you're @Yowie or one of those old guys who have been fishing wharves with the same handline for 50 years ). Not just labour, but rods, reels, line, bait, petrol, public transport, lures, terminals, food, boat hire, and other random junk you buy etc etc. Then if you own a boat, that becomes a whole new ballgame.

After all my frivolous purchases over the years, my fish feeds average about $300 a kilo, but that is probably going to hit $1000 per kg after starting fly fishing 🤣 But of course, the other benefits of going fishing are immeasurable. And it's very hard to buy a feed of fresh fish as high quality as properly handled fish you caught yourself, for any amount of money or effort.

$28 per kilo is pretty good for flathead, by the way! I would consider $40-50 a fair price if it's fresh.

[Yowie]

32 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

 fishing is a very expensive way of getting your fish (except unless you're @Yowie or one of those old guys who have been fishing wharves with the same handline for 50 years ). Not just labour, but rods, reels, line, bait, petrol, public transport, lures, terminals, food, boat hire, and other random junk you buy etc etc. Then if you own a boat, that becomes a whole new ballgame.

.

My wife tells me fishing is expensive (as you have mentioned).

She also tells me growing veges, fruit is expensive.

I could reply that marriage is expensive (but would end up being dead-in-bed )   🤣

Enjoy life while you are still upright.

[faker]

12 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

@faker we've beaten this one to death in the past, but fishing is a very expensive way of getting your fish (except unless you're @Yowie or one of those old guys who have been fishing wharves with the same handline for 50 years ). Not just labour, but rods, reels, line, bait, petrol, public transport, lures, terminals, food, boat hire, and other random junk you buy etc etc. Then if you own a boat, that becomes a whole new ballgame.

After all my frivolous purchases over the years, my fish feeds average about $300 a kilo, but that is probably going to hit $1000 per kg after starting fly fishing 🤣 But of course, the other benefits of going fishing are immeasurable. And it's very hard to buy a feed of fresh fish as high quality as properly handled fish you caught yourself, for any amount of money or effort.

$28 per kilo is pretty good for flathead, by the way! I would consider $40-50 a fair price if it's fresh.

Reason i make a rounds of the bargain bin once a week when i go to church

[XD351]

Fishing is only as expensive as you make it - buying seafood is expensive because you are paying someone to catch it for you and if you catch your own you also get the benefit of a day out / an adventure which will beat sitting at home watching tv every day of the week. Someone that can use a tiny bit of sausage mince on a small hook tied to a few metres of cheap light line and used to catch a yakka for bait and convert that into a table fish is a real angler in my eyes - it takes knowledge and skill to do this - neither of these can be bought and you don’t  get them because you own a lot of expensive gear - they have to be learned and earned ! You were born with free transport - they are called legs and feet and you don’t have to have a boat- no use if you fish the beach/rocks  , tiny bass creeks or trout streams anyway. The only thing I buy from a fish market are my pillies - usually around $13 a kg and still frozen food grade IQF  which is a hundred times better than the garbage you get from a servo or tackle shop freezer. One flathead trip is usually 8 - 10 pillies ( 200-250gm) so for $13 I get four trips worth of bait . So about $5 bait , about$15 diesel, $10-$15 petrol , a thermos of coffee , a few sausages and salad for lunch so for around $45 I get a day out and if I catch my bag of flathead that may yield say 2-2.5kg of fillets @$30 a kg I’m saving $20 ! If you really want a sport / pastime or hobby that cost lots and returns zero try target shooting- each squeeze of the trigger is like throwing a $2 coin into the sea - then repeat that for the equivalent of 300 rounds and all you get back if you win is a trinket worth about $5!

[seasponge]

16 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

$28 per kilo is pretty good for flathead, by the way! I would consider $40-50 a fair price if it's fresh.

Depends whether we're talking whole or fillteted

[noelm]

There’s a whole raft of things going on in the commercial fish price. Lots of top quality produce goes overseas for astronomical prices and we get imported garbage in exchange (sad to say) catching fish commercially is a high cost operation these days, fuel, transport, licenses, gear, wages it’s all high cost, high maintenance, add to that handling and processing, a profit for the retailer and the end user pays the price. That said, most fish are not that dense, so a kilo of (say) Flathead fillets will feed a family easy, a kilo of steak might feed three! Quality local “normal” fish are not that expensive, but start looking at things like extra large Whiting and your budget is shot to bits. I just came back from a local fish market (snooping not buying) and they had boned, medium size Snapper fillets for $32 KG, which is pretty good buying. 

[zmk1962]

3 onboard. Whole day of fresh air and entertainment on the salty water. 60l fuel. 2.7kg of flattie fillets. I’m going fishing again and again and again….

Yes I ignored the investment in the boat …. But that will give years of enjoyment and at the end if I look after it will have a residual value. 

Fishing is a lifestyle choice. Enjoy. 
cheers Zoran