Fishing Community Livelihood Value Chain Development and Post-Harvest Improvements: An Extension Strategy for the Scale-Up of Improved Smoker Technologies Coast-Wide
Fish processing is the main economic activity for women living in and around the coastal and lake areas of Ghana. Preservation methods include salting, frying, and freezing, but smoking is the most prevalent form: practically all species of fish available in the country can be smoked and it is estimated that 75% of the domestic marine and freshwater catch is processed this way. Poor product quality and unhygienic handling practices are a major concern in the local fish processing industry. The illegal use of chemicals and explosives in fishing are a major contributor to poor quality of fish caught. The smoking and drying techniques of the Chorkor stove have limitations that deserve greater attention in order to significantly improve livelihoods of small-scale fishers and respond effectively to product safety challenges – especially linked to controlling contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a public health hazard. PAH are carcinogenic, fat-soluble, nonvolatile and extremely persistent, and develop especially during the incomplete combustion of organic materials.
Read full report http://www.crc.uri.edu/download/GH2014_ACT086_CRC__CEW_SNV_FIN508.pdf