Introduction Definition Principle of drying Importance Types Drying procedure of SIS Drying procedure of large fishes Advantage of dried fish Disadvantage of dried fish Uses Feasibility study Recommendations Conclusion References

1. An Assignment
0n
‘’Dried Fish Would be the Emerging Field of Economy''
Course Title: Fish Processing and Fisheries Product Technology .
Course code: FPHT-301
Department of Fishing and Post Harvest Technology
Faculty of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science.
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.
Submitted to:
Dr. Md. Mohibullah
Assistant Professor at
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University
Chairman at
Department of Fishing and Post Harvest Technology.
Submitted by:
Mohammad Rashidul Islam
Reg: 18-08912
Submission Date: 04.02.2021

2. Dried Fish Would be the Emerging Field of Economy
Introduction:
Edible fishes preserved through removal of moisture. Fish drying is the ancient method of fish
preservation. Dry fish is considered as a delicacy in the menu of many people of Bangladesh. The
basic principle of fish drying is that the activity of the muscle enzyme and microorganism is
reduced to a minimum through drawing out the water content of the fish by sun drying in a
traditional way. Dried fish is one of the most popular food items and widely consumed in
Bangladesh.
Fish drying generally started in mid-October and ended in mid-March. Sufficient sunlight was
available during that time and wind moisture content was less which enabled proper drying of
fish. Fish drying activities also depended on the raw materials availability and market demand of
fresh fish. Fish drying and its use as food were probably first introduced here by the Arabian saints
and businessmen who have been believed to be the pioneer in production and marketing of
dry fish throughout the world since the Egyptian civilization.
Fig: Dried Fish
The important marine and freshwater species that are dried are Loitya (Harpodon neherius), Chhuri
(Lepturacanthus savala), Punti (Puntius sarana,), chapila (Gadusia chapra), Lakhua (Polynemus indicus),
Rupchanda (Pampus chinensis), and shrimps (Metapenaeus species and Penaeus species).
Definitions:
Fish drying is the method of fish preservation by removing the water from fish which inhibits the
growth of microorganisms. Bacteria, yeasts and molds need the water in the food to grow, and
drying effectively prevents them from surviving in the food. Open air drying using sun and wind
has been practiced since ancient times to preserve food. Fish drying is a natural process. It does
not have any control over climate conditions. Fish drying can be done by the fisherman and family
and the resulting product is easily transported to market.
Principles of drying

3. Sun-drying of fish carried out in the open air, using the energy of the sun to evaporate the water
and air flows to carry away the vapor. The moisture content of dried fish should be reduced to less
than 16%. As a result most of the microbiological and autolytic activities are slowed down or
stopped. During drying, substantial shrinkage and other irreversible changes take place. And so
the dried fish cannot be reconstituted. During sun drying evaporation of water from fish is
accomplished in two distinct phases. In the first phase, when the surface of fish is wet, the rate of
evaporation depends on the conditions of the air surrounding the fish.
These are: relative humidity of air, air velocity, air temperature and surface area of fish. In the
second phase, when all the surface moisture is carried away, drying of fish depends on the rate at
which moisture can be brought to the surface of the fish. The rate of moisture flow to the surface
depends on the constituent nature, thickness, temperature and water content of fish.
Importance:
Drying is the oldest method of fish preservation in Bangladesh. This method is very effective. The
importance of fish drying is enormous in Bangladesh because:
• It does not need large amount of money.
• It does not require highly skilled manpower.
• Most species of fishes can be sub-dried.
• This method is simple and versatile.
• It is easy to transport, market or store.
• Except monsoon months huge amount of sunshine and air flow are available throughout
the year.
• It can be performed everywhere, from deck of the fishing boat to the roof of the house.
• It has good market value in Bangladesh and also abroad.
• The nutritional quality remains intact; it contains higher nutritional value compared to fresh
fish.
• It has special flavor that is highly relished by different ethnic people.
• It has created employment opportunity also.
Types:
Types of dried marine products are given below:
1. Plain dried products: Squid, Octopus, Shark fin, Cod, Herring etc
2. Boiled and dried products: Fishes are dried after being boiled eg. Abalone, Sardine, Shark
Cartilage, Shrimp, Shellfish meat etc.
3. Broiled and dried products: Fishes that are dried after being broiled eg. Seabream, Sardine
etc.
4. Salt dried products: Fish is salted and dried under the sun or in a dryer eg. Sardine, Cod,
Yellow tails, Jack Mackerel etc.

4. 5. Frozen and dried products: Frozen or gelatinous extract of algae are frozen and thawed and
dried several times eg. Cod, Alaska Pollack etc.
6. Boiled, roasted and dried products: Fishes are boiled after beheading, eviscerating and are
roasted in an oven and dried eg. Bonito, Tuna, Mackerel etc.
7. Seasoned and dried products: Fish fillet, sliced meat or mullusca are seasoned with the
seasoning juice eg. Smoked squid meat, filleted Alaska Pollack etc.
Drying procedure of small indigenous species (SIS):
Collection of raw materials : The raw materials of dried fish generally collected directly from
local fishermen, landing centers or middlemen. The small scale fishermen. Post-harvest handling
such as grading, dressing, de-scaling and washing are not usually taken care of in case of traditional
drying process of SIS. But in case of some species such as Puti, Chapila, Tengra etc. the processors
sometimes remove the gut. Generally during the peak harvesting season large volume of fish
without using ice is transported to the market for domestic consumption.
Sorting and dressing: Sorting and dressing are done for large size SIS. The smaller size fishes
are not sorted out at all before drying. Mainly women and children take part in such activities.
Washing: Washing facilities are very poor in traditional processing sites. Raw fish are washed
with easily available pond water.
Drying: Fishes are dried by spreading them directly on bamboo mats or platform. During winter
season large quantities of raw fishes are dried in the open field over grass due to poor facilities
available for drying whereby the fishes get contaminated considerably with sands and
microorganisms. SIS normally takes 4-5 days for proper drying in the normal shining day but it
exclusively depends on the weather condition and other related factors. Sometimes the processors
use salt during drying process in rainy day or bad weather for rapid removal of moisture from the
fish body.
Collection of dried fish: After completion of drying process, the products are collected from
drying yards and stored in jute bags in a room or just piled in the drying field for few days before
being sold to the suppliers.
Fig: Drying Method

5. Drying Procedure of Large Fishes:
This drying procedure is slightly different from small fish drying procedure. That is given below:
After collecting the raw materials, that large fishes are scaled, beheaded and gutted. Then the fishes
are cut longitudinally closed to the mid-bone up to the tail region so that they are divided into two
pieces which remain jointed at the tail region. It helps to hang the fishes on rope or rake. Each
splitter part (fillet) is again splitted at the middle into 2 or 3 pieces longitudinally, keeping the ends
unsplitted. This results quicker drying. Fishes are then scattered on a chatai placed on bamboo
made platform and dried in the sun. Final drying takes place on chatai or sometimes after 3 or 4
days, the fishes are taken from the chatai and hanged in the rope.
Drying takes 7-10 days depending on the meteorological condition, size and thickness of fish
fillets. When final moisture content is about 16% or less it is said that drying of fish is completed,
completion of drying is understood by experience. Yield may be 20% or more by weight of raw
fish. Then the products are stored in earthen pots or wooden box.
Advantages of dried fish:
• Dried fish processed through sun drying is highly concentrated fish compared to other
preserved form of fish.
• As water content become reduced so microbial activity can not run at normal rate thus
reduce the spoilage of fish.
• Less expensive method and comparatively simple procedure.
• Reduced water content, enzymatic and many chemical process which are responsible for
fish spoilage retarded.
• In this method, complicated machinery and equipment are not required.
• Dried fish remain stable at most ambient temperature.
Disadvantages of dried fish:
Though drying has some positive sides, but it has some disadvantages too. The major problem of
sun drying is efficiency and quality of final product remain at the mercy of nature (i.e. operational
parameters). In improper sun drying, dried product suffers from many disadvantages. Some of
these problems are:
• This process is can only be carried out when bright sunlight is available.
• No control over the operational parameters.
• Long duration required. Sometimes under unfavorable operational parameters it takes
several days to complete which affects the quality of final product.

6. • In sun drying, possibility of contamination with dust, sand; infestation with insects, their
eggs and larvae is high.
• Shelf life of the final product is not too long and poor quality final product is produced in
most cases.
Uses:
Pure dried fish is a completely natural product that retains the antioxidant and omega-3 benefits
of fresh fish, while constituting a healthy and widely available food for both people and dogs.
Fish helps to mitigate the occurrence of heart attacks and keeps the body's circulation functioning
well. These benefits provide key marketing tools that can make dried-fish retailing a profitable
business. Dried fish also used as fish meal.
Feasibility study:
Fisheries are one of the most important subsectors of Bangladesh agriculture and are considered
to be the thrust sector for sustainable development and socio economic development of rural
fishermen and fish producers and processors. Fish and fisheries play a significant role in the
economy of Bangladesh in terms of animal protein supply, employment, earning of foreign
currency and alleviation of poverty.
Dried fish also contribute significantly to fulfil the protein demand and help to earn foreign
currency. Every year huge amount of fish are caught in river and ocean in Bangladesh. Bangladesh
having sovereign rights over almost 118,813 sq. km in the Bay of Bengal possesses vast marine
water resources rich in biodiversity. Marine fishing sector provides about 15.05% of national
fisheries production of 6.599 lakh MT in 2018-19, it involves over 200 industrial trawlers and
more than 67000 artisanal vessels. Artisanal small-scale fishery contributes 83.75% i.e. 5.53 lakh
MT and large industrial fishery contributes 16.25% i.e. 1.07 lakh MT of total marine production.
According to the local estimate 20% of the artisanal catch are sun dried and mostly consumed in
domestic market. Local fishermen and their family drying the fishes that help to reduce the
deterioration of fish.
Drying is the biggest fish processing activity in both value and volume in coastal region as well as
all over Bangladesh. Bangladesh has exported 3144 metric ton of dried fish during 2018-19 fiscal
year which market value was 425.9 million Taka. Dried fish is an important source of protein
in Bangladesh. While people from all over the country eat dried fish, people of greater Sylhet,
Mymensingh, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar districts relish it more. So ultimately dried fish help
to contribute the protein value in the people of Bangladesh throughout the whole year and also
help to earn the foreign currency. In future this sector will create more potential aspect for
Bangladesh as dried fish have more demand in Bangladesh as well as foreign country.
Recommendations:

7. • Traditional fishermen and processors should be trained up on improved sun drying,
sanitation and public health.
• Fresh fish should be used for drying and rotten fish should be rejected.
• Dried fish should be packaged on the drying racks as soon as the drying is completed.
• Dried fish should be stored in a hygienic cool and dry environment.
• It should be completely stopped the use insecticide in fish drying process.
• Improved quickest transportation facilities for fish collection and supporting
supply chain.
• Awareness should be developed and proper training should be ensured for
dried fish producers in getting quality dried products.
• Government should take necessary steps to expand export of dried fish to the
foreign country.
Conclusion:
Bangladesh has great opportunity to become one of the prevalent dried fish’s producers in all over
the world. Because it has many of rivers, long sea shore area, efficient fishermen, competent dried
fish’s producer, better weather. This activity creates employment opportunities and supplying
animal protein to the people. The most important point of dried fish in sense of Processing is that
it can be stored easily for several months at a dry place with normal environmental conditioners.
Besides these dries fish becoming popular day by day for a large population throughout the country
for its delicious taste. So we can undoubtedly say that dried fish would be the emerging field of
economy in Bangladesh.
References:
• Sabiha Sultana Marine , Md. Abu Sayeed, Partho Protim Barman, Rabeya Begum, Md.
Motaher Hossain and Md. Tariqul Alam.(2015) 'Traditional Method of Fish Drying: An
explorative study in Sylhet, Bangladesh.' International Journal of Fishery Science and
Aquaculture Vol. 2 (1), pp. 028-035.
• Khadijatul Kubra, Md. Sazedul Hoque, Shaharior Hossen, Asma Ul Husna, Mehedi
Azam, Md. Rajib Sharker, Shahrear Hemal, Md. Belal Hossain, Prosun Roy and Mir
Mohammad Ali.(2020) 'Fish Drying and Socio-Economic Condition of Dried Fish
Producers in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh.' Middle East Journal of Scientific
Research, 28(3):182-192.