ealth, food security and in improving the livelihoods of many
artisanal fishermen in many developing countries, up to 50%
of the fish harvested in the these countries is wasted (Abila,
2003). This is because fish is harvested at an average high moisture
content of 5 kg/kg, db (Garg and Prakash, 2000), and if
unpreserved, it undergoes rapid spoilage, even without external
contamination, in less than 24 h (Gram and Dalgaard, 2002). In
addition, most of the artisanal fish landing sites are usually located
far away from consumption points and market centres.
Preservation of such fish would improve the earnings of the
artisanal fishermen, and also enhance food security. In addition
the living standards of the fishing community and national income
would be improved. Therefore, measures must be taken
to minimise the wastage and ensure that the fish industry is
protected.