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ABSTRACT
This study is aimed at identifying the fish processing methods, marketing and distribution in Aniocha north local government area, Delta State. The study was carried out with well-structured questionnaires, which were administered to fish processors, marketers and distributors. Three major settlement and markets in the local government area were investigated and they are Issele-Mpitime community, Onicha-Ugbo community and Issele-Ogwashi community and they were purposively selected. 70 fish processors were interviewed during the course of the research. The study has shown that majority of the fish processors were male and majority of the male were married in the three areas. This research has also shown that majority of the processors had tertiary. Majority of the fish processors belonged to the family size of 4-6 people. This research also shows that most of the processors use charcoal and fire wood as a source of energy. Majority of the processors revealed that they take their smoke-dried fish directly to the market or consumers on a daily basis. It also revealed that most of the fish processors used distribution van to distribute their processed fish from point of processing to where it will be consumed or marketed. It was therefore concluded that fish processing is a profitable venture in the study area but needs economic and technological enhancement in processing, handling, marketing and distribution in order to reduce post-harvest losses. The study recommends amongst others that agricultural extension arm of the state should improve the network for market price information and dissemination among all participants (fishermen, processors and traders) to improve marketing efficiency, Federal Department of Fisheries should assist in the regulations of the price of raw materials such as price for fish, feed, and other materials required for processing or their subsidization and provide adequate extension personnel to educate the processors, marketers and distributors on effective practices and management, the state extension arm should educate fishermen, processors and traders or marketers with techniques and methods of reducing fish loss and post-harvest losses.
