Fishermen here have been catching tons of shrimp since the season opened on Aug. 1, with shops full of the tasty crustaceans. Although the haul of jumbo shrimp is less than last year, according to some fishermen, there are still plenty of other sizes available for everyone. Specially-designed boats are bringing tons of shrimp from the Arabian Sea to wholesalers and the large fish markets in Jubail and Qatif. Most of the hotels and restaurants in the Eastern Province have been serving various varieties of shrimp dishes since the season began, including kebab, biryani, fried and grilled shrimp. Shrimp are also bought by some shops from wholesalers, for export to other Middle Eastern countries. The price is SR10 to SR15 a kilogram for small shrimp and SR20 to SR35 kilogram for medium-sized ones. Because of the reduced catch this year, jumbo-sized shrimp are still sold for SR60 a kilogram. Fish traders, truck drivers, hotel owners, cleaners and ice manufacturers are working hard every day to meet the demand. More people are also being employed now to help with the workload. Another reason for the boom in the sale of shrimp is because prices are less than for other types of seafood. Expatriates, especially from the Philippines, Egypt and India are currently buying as many as eight kilograms at a time because of the low prices. Medium-sized shrimp are normally bought by individual customers, while exporters and owners of supermarkets prefer jumbo shrimp.
