Fish Bladder Makes Brisk Business

Beside the numerous business activities in the Youpwe Fish Market in the Douala II Subdivision springs the exportation of swim bladder from fresh hogfish and sea bass to Nigeria. This internal organ of the fish (capitaine and bar in French) which was formerly discarded has become a new gold mine for some business people of the market who have either added its exportation to Nigeria to their normal activity or turned wholly to it.

The fish market sell whole fish that you have to clean yourself. They cover their hands with gloves and use the blunt edge of a knife to scrape the scales off both sides of the fish and with a sharp knife remove the internal organs which most people consider as waste. Exporters get supplies from these scalers. Those coming for their services are often ignorant of this business opportunity since they consider the organ which usually remains with the scaler as waste. Scaling may cost just FCFA 100 or a little more but a swim bladder from the two fish costs FCFA 200-300.

One of the exporters (asked to be anonymous) told CT on Friday, November 26, 2021 that since not much of hogfish and sea bass fished off the coast of the Atlantic at Yoyo, Cap Cameroon, and Kribi, among other l...