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The effects of Sars are being felt right across Asia.
From empty planes to silent hotels, businesses are
suffering. 
But in Australia the Sars outbreak is having a most
unexpected impact - on the nation's seafood industry.
Selling fish isn't for the late riser. They start
early at the Sydney Fish Market - by 0530 local time
the fresh fish rush is well underway.
Stock is sold by Dutch auction here. Prices on large
overhead displays tick downwards until a buyer jumps
in.
That's the problem - the prices keep falling and the
buyers aren't jumping.
Take coral trout for example: one of Australia's most
popular exports to Asia. Normally the live fish will
fetch US$25 (£16; 23 euros) a kilo but prices are now
below $10 and still falling.
Empty restaurants
On a typical day, much of the fish on the Sydney Fish
Market floor would be heading for the restaurants of
Hong Kong and Singapore.
Fish prices are falling
They're usually huge buyers of Australian seafood and
a mainstay of the local wholesaling industry.
But Sars means those restaurants are now empty and the
major clients have simply stopped ordering.
Martin Palmer supplies fish to some of Sydney's best
known restaurants.
He's now got a problem. The home market is awash with
unsold fish, prices are falling and there's a real
fear that the fishermen who supply him are going to go
under.
"It's dreadful. Basically the last thing we want to
see is people going out of business because if people
go out of business we won't get the product.
Fishermen could go out of business
"It's something we're not used to dealing with because
we're only used to the prices going up.
"And all of a sudden to find out that the Chinese
market has disappeared - it's going to be disastrous."
Tanked up
You can see the local effects already. A typical
seafood restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown has holding
tanks full of cut price fish as the domestic market
struggles to absorb unsold international stock.
Restaurateurs are getting plagued by suppliers
desperate to offload unsold fish.
There is little demand in Sydney's Chinatown
For people out there who do need seafood, it's a
buyers' market, as Golden Century Seafood owner Eric
Wong explains.
"We have more bargaining power at this moment, so we
can argue the price with the supplier.
"Some of them are holding a lot of stock and they need
to push the live fish tank product to a weak market.
You can't keep fish too long in the fish tank."
Locals may be getting the deals, but the industry
relies on high spending and high profit export
markets.
Unless seafood prices improve soon, many fear it's
going to get a whole lot quieter on the auction floor. |
