Fish trade, price realization and species diversification across markets in Maharashtra

Abstract

The study was conducted in 22 well-structured fish markets across Maharashtra state including landing centres, retail and wholesale markets to assess the trade of commercially important fishes. The field survey was conducted during the period of August 2019- March 2020 using a structure field survey tool-Fish Market Prices (FMP). During the survey period, total of 97 species of fish fauna was traded which included 61 marine species, 21 fresh water species and 15 brackish water species. It has been observed that among the total species traded/ available across different markets of Maharashtra, inland species (Catla, Rohu, Tilapia, Asian Seabass, Common carp, Grass carp, Silver carp) were the most prominent compared to other fishes. As the theory goes the price and demand of a fish is influenced by market structure, seasonal abundance and origin of species, size and quality. Fish demand was sensitive to the price changes and their availability. The study revealed that the share of Maharashtra to total marine fish production of India has been slackening. The major reason behind the devolution of marine sector is the extreme bad weather events which adversely affected the marine fisheries during 2018. Inaddition lower catch per unit effort and non-availability of fish also resulted towards the decline of marine fish landings. The study also offers scope for the Government to intervene in the fish markets so that more fish species become available, accessible and affordable to consumers. Creation of infrastructure and provision of infrastructure seems to be the buzz word towards improved marketing efficiency.