Eighty percent of the ornamental fish are supplied by the local hatchery owners to the wholesaler of Katabon market (Fig. 3). These fishes are comparatively cheaper and easily available. Aquarium keeper purchased local bred ornamental fish directly or from retailer of different market. Katabon market traders sold about 43% of their total fish directly to the aquarium keeper and 57% to the retailers (Fig. 3). The fish are transported by retailer and aquarium keeper using poly pack filled in water and
oxygen. No middlemen were found in any marketing channel.
Marketing channels are the alternative routes of product flows from producers to consumers. Kohls and Uhl (1980) stated that marketing channel may be short or long for a particular commodity depending on the quality of the marketed products, nature and size of the consumers and producers. Ornamental fish trading system consisted of marketing channel and marketing functions of different
Faruk et al. [July 2012] Ornamental fishes in Bangladesh
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intermediaries. Ornamental fish marketing channel passes through a number of intermediaries such as hatchery owners, wholesalers, retailers and aquarium keeper. In a related work Malek (2007) mentioned about seven marketing channels for fish seed marketing in Mymensingh. Quddus (1991), Mia (1996) and Rahman (2003) identified several types of fish marketing channels in Netrokona, Mymensingh and Gazipur districts respectively where active participation of stakeholders and wholesalers were reported. The ornamental fish trade is driven primarily by consumer demand.