ISLAMABAD (APP) - With winter at its peak, the demand for fish different varieties of the rich source of protein. "Fish consumption multiplies in winter, which is evident from a dramatic surge in our sales during the cold weather," president of Fish Merchant Association Rawalpindi-Islamabad Haji Babar Javed Butt told this agency. According to him during the current winter around 5-7 tonnes of fish arrives every day at Gung Mandi, the main wholesale fish market in Rawalpindi that supplies fish to the twin cities. "This is four times higher as compared to other seasons of the year," Butt said. He said many fish sellers also had direct contracts with different fish farms and instead of the wholesale market they preferred to buy fish from them."The demand for fish in the twin cities increases so much in the cold weather that it cannot be met with the Rawal Dam produce alone," said Sales Manager Muhammad Asif at Daood Wholesale Fish outlet. There are two exotic and 26 indigenous fish species in Pakistan, according to Aquaculture Fisheries Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Centre Islamabad. The fish from dam reservoirs at Mangala, Terbala and Simli as well as sea catch from Karachi include trout, rahu, mahshair, barb, silver, mushka, salmon, thailla and morakhi. Supplies also come from fish farms in Mandi Bahauddin, Alipur Gujranwala and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. In addition to regular fish shops in the two cities, mobile fish vendors roaming around with their ware on bicycles and hand-pushed carts are a common sight these days, and usually they offer a good price margin. Shakeel Ahmed, owner of a fish shop at Aabpara Market, who is in this business for the last several years, said that winter climax is the best time for earning. "I earn three to four times higher during winter as people prefer to eat fish in cold season." Another fish seller at a nearby shop said that the high fish demand also affected its price as it became 20 to 30 per cent higher during the biting cold. While according to Shakeel Ahmed, the prices shoot up also due to transportation being more costly and the breeding farms charging more.Delicious fish dishes-poached, baked, grilled and steamed-attract a stream of customers in restaurants and food streets in the twin cities. Many people at Melody Food Park in Islamabad said they could not resist the aromatic smell from the cooked fish. "I love to eat fish and whenever I come to Islamabad I visit Food Park to enjoy the poached variety here," said Nadeem Ahmed, a visitor here from Taxila. However, many prefer to enjoy fish at home as it provides them an opportunity to prepare recipes of their own choice. "I always choose to cook the fish at home because I fry it according to my own taste and choice," said a lady while buying fish from a vendor at Sohan near Faizabad. "If I could I would eat fish every day but you know it costs pretty handsome amount of money," she said. The prices of different kinds of fishes range between Rs. 100 kg and Rs.400 per kg, depending upon quality. "Fish are a rich source of protein and results from several studies suggest that eating fish or taking fish oil supplements in certain amounts can cure a lot of diseases," said Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, a physician at Super Market Islamabad. He said lack of protein could cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system. "Fish are also a best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been found to be helpful in the treatment and prevention of a lot of diseases, including high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Mian Akhter, who runs his clinic at Faizabad.