Dry Fish Market Condition and Socio-economic Status of Dry Fish Retailer: A Survey Study in Noakhali, Bangladesh

Background: Fish drying is very common in the entire coastal areas of Bangladesh and these dried fishes have demand both in domestic and international market though the people involved early in the production chain (fishing and drying) add relatively more value and make little profit. Present investigation gives an idea about the scenario of the dried fish market and livelihood pattern of dry fish seller in the Noakhali region, an important coastal region in southern part of Bangladesh.

Methodology: Twenty five retails shops from 12 markets under five upazilla of Noakhali district were surveyed for the study.

Results: Nineteen species of dried fish and 7 types of semi-fermented and salted fish were found in the dried fish market of study area. Most demanded species of dried fish were Harpadon nehereus (Hamilton, 1822), Trichiurus lepturus, Coilia dussumieri,and Apocryptes bato. Peak marketing season of dried fish was rainy season. The market share of freshwater fishes was found 79% and marine water fishes 21%. Average 40% of the retailer completed only the primary level of education. Forty eight percent retailer earn 200-500BDT, 44% earn 500-1000BDT and 8% earn more than 1000BDT daily. Only 4 dried fish retailers have alternative sources of income and 21 have no alternative sources of income. Three types of marketing channels were found in the dried fish market of Noakhali.

Conclusion: Several constraints were found in the dried fish market of Noakhali such as rapid damage of dry fishes, high transaction costs, lack of marketing infrastructure, transportation and storage facilities, etc.