DAMMAM: Some Saudi citizens have launched a campaign on social networking sites to boycott fish in response to price hikes.

However, fish retailers stated that what is said about the high fish prices are groundless rumors and there is no real public boycott at the central fish market in Qatif as the movement of buying and selling is normal.

According to traders, fish prices are suitable for all, and shrimp sales recently registered the highest level with SR13 million in returns. They demanded social networking sites and local news to be more accurate about what they publish.

Fish trader Mohammed Al-Khabaz said: “The market is currently undergoing a correction movement and fish prices declined before the spread of these rumors,” confirming that the economic movement in the fish market changes from time to time, due to variable weather conditions, supply and demand.

On fish prices, Al-Khabaz said that prices fell for many popular varieties including shrimp, which hit a record decline due to the recent decision that prevented shrimp exports, denying the rumors spread about the public boycott of the fish market.

Zuhair Al-Qafashat, a fish wholesaler, said: “People should not trust everything published on social networks, as the central fish market in Qatif is the largest of its kind in the Middle East regarding its daily fish trading and the financial returns, providing supply to all markets in the Eastern Province.”