A Fish Landing Centre of BFDC in Rajshahi City Corporation

Fish landing center is a place where the number or poundage of fish unloaded by commercial fishermen or brought to shore by recreational fishermen for personal use. Landings are reported at the locations at which fish are brought to shore (NOAA, 2006).

Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) is the only organization constructed modern fish harbours and fish landing centers in coastal areas, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Barishal, Khepupara, Pathar Ghata and Khulna. It has also constructed commercial fresh fish landing centers in Rangamati, Rajshahi and Daborghat. These landing centres provide modern and hygienic facilities for the fishermen and fish traders and there are facilities for berthing, landing, auctioning, cold storage, freezer storage and transport. Normally, post-harvest resource management care is taken properly is these centers. But sometimes, fishermen and fish traders are not very interested for utilizing these modern facilities due to ignorance and self-interest.

Fishes are landed at these fish landing centers from different parts of the country which are distributed in the fish markets adjacent to the landing centers for selling. All the landing centers of the country are regulated by the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC).

From fisheries point of view, landing centers are very much important for supplying fresh harvested fish to the different fish markets of the country. There is also a fish-landing center in Rajshahi city and it is in the west side of Rajshahi new market. This fish-landing center was constructed by Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC).

Infra-structure:
The fish-landing center is facilitated with platform for enhancing concerned activities. There is an ice mill attached to the fish-landing center. The facility of storing fish is also available in this fish-landing center.

The total area of this landing centre is 20 decimal, floor and wall is Cemented, roof is cemented and about 50 cm high platform is present. Moreover electricity supply, sufficient water supply, sufficient ice supply drainage system, storage facility and office room are present.
Wholesale price of Hilsha and salted Hilsha is 510 and 800 BDT/Kg

Functional structure:
The daily activities of this landing center is described below-

01. Landing of fish:
Mainly Hilsha fishes in ice preserved and salt preserved are landed at the fish landing center from different places of the country that include Chandpur, Patuakhali, Barisal, Khulna, Chittagong, Pabna and so on.Among the landed fishes Hilsa is main and regularly landed. On the contrary, other fish species are occasionally found. During peak season the amount of Hilsa fish to be landed at the fish landing center approximates 150 to 200 score and in off peak season this amount approximates 40 to 50 score.Furthermore, local fish farmers also come to the fish landing center for selling their fishes.But this case is seldom found.

02. Preservation:
Generally ice is used to preserve the landed fishes at the fish landing center. There is an ice producing mill in the south part of the landing center where large block ice is produced. These large black ices are grinded mechanically into small pieces which are finally used in fish preservation.

03. Storage of fish:
There is a storage room in the South side of the main building of the fish-landing center where Hilsa fishes are stored for future marketing. Hence, each fish is covered with white semi-transparent polythene sheet separately prior storage.

04. Selling of fish:
In the fish landing center landed fishes are sold by the local wholesalers to the retailers from the adjacent fish markets including Shaheb bazar, Laxmipur, Katakhali, Baneshor, Jhalmolia etc.There are 3 commission agents at the fish landing center who play an important role in selling of landed fishes.

Problems of this fish landing center
Different problems of the fish-landing center were identified during the visit. The problems are mentioned below-

• Poor infora structural facilities
• Lack of proper monitoring system and sanitation
• Inadequate drainage system
• Only a single fish species (Hilsa) is landed at the landing center
• The excessive amount of ice produced by the ice mill of the fish landing center is sold to the external customers to avoid loss.
• Dirty environment exists at the fish landing center.

Reference

• Fisheries Sector Review. 2003. The Future for Fisheries: Economic Performance, Commissioned with the association of the World Bank, DANIDA, USAID, FAO, DFID with the cooperation of the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, and the Department of Fisheries, Dhaka.
• Mazid, M.A. 2005. Manual on Culture of Small and Threatened Indigenous Fish Species, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
• NOAA. 2006. NOAA Fisheries Glossary, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. 25p.

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