Oh fish!

Restaurateurs say customers are shying away from ordering seafood owing to contamination fears at a time when sales were already low thanks to Shravan

Oh fish!

Restaurateurs say customers are shying away from ordering seafood owing to contamination fears at a time when sales were already low thanks to Shravan

The oil spill from MV Rak couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time for restaurateurs in the city, who were already struggling with low seafood sales thanks to the Hindu month of Shravan.

Customers, they say, are staying off seafood almost completely because of a contamination warning from environmentalists.

Oil spill at Juhu beach. Pic/Suresh KK
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Their efforts at assuaging consumers' fears by telling them that the fish are not from Mumbai are also going in vain.

"We have not witnessed a significant drop in sales as of now, but we are receiving several enquires from seafood lovers asking us if it is safe to consume seafood.

We then try and explain to them that the fish we serve is imported from neighbouring states and is not from Mumbai waters," said Sunder Poojary, manager, Mahesh Lunch Home, Fort.

Girish Shetty, owner, Jai Hind Lunch Home said, "The spill happening in Shravan, when very few Hindus consume meat, has impacted business adversely but the timing is also a blessing in disguise as the loss will be less. Most of our fish is imported from other states.

A similar panic button had been hit when MV Khalija and MV Chitra collided last year and the impact is less this time around."

"We are praying, however, that the oil spill does not spread further as it will deter customers from ordering seafood for a while. Many varieties of crab are purchased from Mumbai and their sales are sure to be affected," he added.

Echoing Shetty's views, a restaurateur from Andheri, who did not wish to be named, said, "Seafood sales had seen a major slump because of the ship collision last August and we cannot afford to bear another loss.
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My restaurant has seen a huge dip in seafood sales this year too. Customers say they'd rather be safe than sorry."

Customer's take
Seafood lover Manu Rai from Versova has decided to keep pleasing his taste buds on hold until the spill crisis blows over.
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"Though there is no official announcement of fish getting contaminated, I have decided to stop eating seafood till the oil is cleared from the beaches.
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Restaurateurs may claim to be importing the seafood, but one can never be sure," he said.

Did you know?
When it sank on August 4, MV Rak had 60,000 metric tonnes of coal, 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel. It was on its way to Dahej in Gujarat from Indonesia.