Pattern of Fish Marketing in Lagoon Fisheries: A case study of Rekawa lagoon in south Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Marketing is a process encompassing all the business activities involved in the flow of produce from producer to consumer. In this paper an attempt is made to analyse the pattern of lagoon fresh-fish marketing in the Rekawa lagoon. Data and information were gathered from fishermen and middlemen. Lagoon catch consists of finfish and shrimp. Fishermen sell their catches directly to the consumers or to middlemen. When fishermen sell their catches themselves, catch is either sold at the local village market, which is situated close to the lagoon, or at village fairs located far away from the lagoon. Majority of the fishermen sell their catches to middlemen who are usually retailers. Selling of catch to a particular middleman, who provides financial support to the seller-fisherman, is common in marketing of shrimp. Involvement of large-scale middlemen such as wholesalers, assemblers and commission agents is absent in lagoon finfish marketing. During the shrimp production season, few middlemen, who act as shrimp collectors or assemblers operate in the area. Retailers are the middlemen usually active in the marketing channel. Middlemen buy the catch at landing sites or at the fishermen's residences. Majority of the fishermen are not satisfied with the prices they receive for their catches. Collusion among the retailers results in lack of competition among them. They buy catches at pre-determined prices, which prevents the seller-fishermen from receiving a just price for their fish.