THE Nile perch is under threat. This is so because of its highly prized swim bladder also known as the maw.
At Kiyindi Landing site in Buikwe District in Uganda, fishermen dock their boats filled with both tilapia and Nile perch. Immediately, fish traders wait to offload the Nile perch that has turned profitable for many traders. It is not because of its fillet.
The swim bladder, is the reason for the rise in demand for the Nile perch. It is believed that the swim bladder is used as an aphrodisiac in China.
The fish maw is served in soups and stews and is a delicacy in China, the largest market for the fish maw.
Because of this delicacy inside the Nile perch, the fish could disappear altogether from Africa’s Lake Victoria because it is a lucrative business attracting big monies.
Visiting Kiyindi Landing site in Buikwe District in Uganda confirms it all. The volumes of a catch of the Nile perch is massive, dozens of traders rush to the boat as soon as it docks fighting to buy the Nile perch, largely because of its maw.
Demand for fish maw has spawned such a lucrative business enterprise in Uganda that it is raising concerns of overfishing. "I buy one Nile perch between $4-$7 dollars and once I get the fish, I hire some boys to open the fish and get the maw out. It is sold separate to other buyers that come specific for the same," James Mwasigye says.
Mwasigye says it hurts to sale the maw at that lower price because in China, it fetches over $450 each.
“As fishermen, I think we are being swindled in broad day light. This is not right. Look at the price that these Chinese buy the maw at ad get it sold back in their country," Mwasigye says.
Mwasigye says two decades ago, Nile perch fish maw would be fried and eaten by locals. But not anymore. Nile perch fish maw would be fried and eaten by locals. But lately, the Chinese market has made it more lucrative, especially for the exporter.
International prices for dry maw range between $450 and $1,000 per kilogram, depending on the size, quality and market strength.
Fish sold to locals have the swim bladders taken out and sold for between $107 to $214 per kilogram.
At Kiyindi landing site, as soon as a boat lands on the shores of Lake Victoria in Buikwe District the town’s fishmongers are leaping over the gunwales with fists full of cash.
The high profits involved mean that traders keep a low profile, and are secretive about their haul’s eventual destination, according to the women who gut the perch to extract the precious maw.
But now the fish maw has being recognized as Gold by the Ugandan Government.
Uganda’s minister for agriculture, animal industry and fisheries Vincent Ssempijja says fish maw is a new item that needs to be regulated.
The Minister confirms that the fish maw in the Nile perch is gold, “Yes, it’s certainly a new type of gold, so we need to look at it more critically.”
He says as Government they are trying to coordinate with various private partners and ensure a win-win situation.
The minister adds: “That’s why we want to regulate it, so that our fish farmers and of course the fish mongers and the fisheries sector really, benefit from this very lucrative business.”
A recent study by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization has shown that a growing appetite in Asia has seen the former waste by-product becoming a multi-million-dollar export.
In East Africa, particularly Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania collectively earn $86 million from trading the commodity. Uganda alone earned $40 million in 2017 as the largest exporter of the Nile perch swim bladder to China.
No comments:
Post a Comment