Knowledge, practice, and economic impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale coastal fishing communities in Bangladesh: Policy recommendations for improved livelihoods.

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted global livelihoods and disrupted the food supply chain, including the aquaculture and fisheries industries. Little is known about the response to COVID-19 and the impact it has on incomes, livelihoods and knowledge and practice in the coastal artisanal fishers communities of Bangladesh. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the socio-demographics of selected coastal fishers, their knowledge about COVID-19 and the preventive practice taken to reduce it. The impact on their fishing habits and income was also examined to determine potential policy areas. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire from 250 respondents from three coastal districts, Cox's Bazar, Patuakhali and Barguna, Bangladesh during April-June 2020. The research shows that the fishers' knowledge about COVID-19 and measures taken to reduce it were significantly higher in Patuakhali and Barguna than in Cox's Bazar. The pandemic caused lower consumer demand, reduced fish prices and created fish transportation issues due to movement restrictions enforced during the lockdown. Irrespective of geographical location, fishing trips were reduced by frequency and duration compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, consequently lowering the income of fishers. Fishers have received little or no support from private, non-governmental or governmental sources. Considering the evidence in this paper of economic hardship, this paper recommends artisanal fishers in Bangladesh should be provided with support to improve their health education, access to professional health facilities and financial services. This will contribute to improved food security and sustainable livelihoods that can better withstand local and/or global crises.

Effects of Pangasius (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and Skipjack Tuna (Sarda orientalis) mince blend on the quality of fish products: Ways to utilize resources and nutrition in Bangladesh.

This study was conducted with the aims of utilizing the resources and analyzing the quality of value-added fish products, fish ball made from a fish mince blend of pangasius (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and skipjack tuna (Sarda orientalis) (ratios P100:T0, P75:T25, P50:T50, P25:T75, P0:T100), under two cooking processes (two-step heating and autoclaving). The textural quality (softness/firmness [S/F]; chewiness/rubberiness [C/R]; and folding test [FT]) and the nutritional quality of the fish products were determined by the sensory method and AOAC method, respectively. The results showed that tuna had higher utilization than pangasius. The products from the washed fish mince blend showed better textural properties with two-step heating (50℃ for 60 min and 100℃ for 30 min) than with autoclaving (120℃, 15Ib/Inc2 for 15 min) and unwashed process. Of the five fish mince blend ratios, P50:T50 showed significant higher textural properties (FT, S/F, and C/R values) than the other ratios (p < .05). Further improvements in textural qualities were observed when the mince blend was washed with different salt solutions (0.1% NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2). Whitish or bright color attributes were obtained from pangasius mince, which became darker proportionately with increasing proportions of tuna mince (p < .05). The texture, color, and nutritional quality of the fish products were affected by washing, heating, and the compositional differences in the fish species. Thus, value-added fish products based on a fish mince blend could contribute to an increase in total resource utilization and nutritional security in Bangladesh.

Comparative quality assessment of traditional vs. improved dried Bombay duck (Harpodon nehereus) under different storage conditions: Solar chimney dryer a low-cost improved approach for nutritional dried fish.

Dried fish and fishery products provide important and affordable dietary sources of animal protein. The present study compared the sensory, microbial, and biochemical quality of bombay duck (Harpadon nehereous) dried fish produced using improved versus traditional open-air drying method. The sensory, microbial, and biochemical quality was determined following quality index, total plate count (TPC), and Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) method, respectively. The sensory quality results indicate highly acceptable dried fish with the improved method compared to traditional method at both initial and storage condition. The microbial load (APC, TEC, TViC, and TSC) of improved dried fish was within internationally permissible microbiological standards for food whereas traditionally dried fish exceeded the permissible limit. The biochemical composition (protein, lipid, ash, and moisture) of improved dried fish had better nutritional value than the traditional dried fish. After 60 days storage time, samples packaged under HDPE conditions exhibited excellent organoleptic characteristics, lower microbial load, and lower biochemical decomposition than samples packaged in LDPE. The above results confirmed that the solar chimney dryer produced superior quality of dried fish compared to the traditional open-air drying method both initially and after storage, while packaging dried fish under HDPE conditions extended shelf life further.