Abstract

Most fish become inedible within 12 hours at tropical temperatures after capture. Spoilage begins as soon as the fish dies and processing should therefore be done quickly to prevent the growth of spoilage bacteria. Fishing activities are of very importance to the agricultural sector. This paper is aimed at dealing with the problems and prospects of fresh fish processing and storage. The study was carried out by means of structured questionnaires administered to selected fishermen and traders in 2003-2006. The performance of fresh fish market’s revealed that 82% of the fish marketers are middlemen. Over 96% of the respondents process the fish into smoked fish. The smoked fish generally reduce the profit of the fish marketers according to 90% of the respondents. 85% of the respondents complained of suffering as a result of crude method of processing and 73% of the processors of fresh fish by smoking are women. It is recommended that natural fresh storage projects should be provided and commissioned by the Federal Government while storage centres could be created at Doma and some selected fishing villages by the Government.

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