Dried fish in Indonesia

It is obvious that dried fish production and consumption in Indonesia are both very substantial. Nonetheless, the English-language literature on Indonesia's dried fish economy is insignificant.

As a passing note, Indonesia is home to the Katamba Fish Company, which has attempted to spam the comments on our website, and which claims to produce 5000 tonnes of dried fish annually.

The major source is a set of papers from a 1994 symposium on dried fish [1], but nothing of comparable depth has been published in the past 25 years.

*Lee et al. [2]

See the chapter by Putro on “Fish Fermentation Technology in Indonesia” in the book Fish Fermentation Technology, available in Dafoe Library. The first part of this chapter is a broad summary of the fish products in Indonesia and their processing technology, with a description and process (flow) diagram for each product. The later part of the chapter summarizes research on different products that was current at that time (i.e., mainly from the 1980s).

• 119. There has been an increase in pedah production, even though it was not traditionally made in large quantities.

Fish as food v. 3 [3]

237. Discussion of trassi, a fish or shrimp paste that is manufactured mainly in Sumatra and exported to Java. Shrimp/fish are salted on the boats, then once on shore spread out and exposed to the sun in layers (not in pots), dried for a few days, kneaded, dyed, and potentially extended/adulterated. These are mixed with vegetables to create sambal eaten with every meal. Historical reference to “trassi udang” in Markus 1929.

242. “In Indonesia small fish are dried in the sun with little or no salt. Somewhat larger fish are cut open, cleaned, and sun-dried.”

*Irianto and Irianto 1998 [4]

This is a paper from symposium proceedings, which amounts to a catalogue of traditional fermented fish products. The processing technique for each is described in the paper, along with summaries of technical studies that could guide “best practices” for production (e.g., impact of fish viscera and vacuum on fermentation, use of ice preservation prior to processing, pre-soaking of fish, etc.). Protein, moisture, and salt content is reported.

The table below summarizes the products discussed in the paper.

Product	Fish used	Fermentation type	Product type
peda	whole gutted marine	fish + salt	dried fish
jambal roti	whole gutted marine	fish + salt	dried fish
kecap ikan	?	fish + salt	liquid
terasi	pounded fish/shrimp	fish + salt	lumped
ikan tukai	whole gutted marine	fish + salt	dried fish
bekasang	freswater	fish + salt	liquid
bekasam	visceral marine	fish + carbohydrate + salt	moist fish
naniura	whole gutted marine	fish + carbohydrate + salt	moist fish
picungan	whole gutted marine	fish + carbohydrate + salt	moist fish
cincaluk	whole gutted marine	fish + carbohydrate + salt	liquid

NOTE: carbohydrate can include tapioca flour or boiled rice

*Champ and Highley 1994 [1]

End uses of marine fishery production in Indonesia (Champ and Highley 1994)

This volume includes the published proceedings from an international workshop on fish drying in Indonesia. Several of the 13 papers - particularly those toward the end of the volume - are fairly technical, focusing on the typical research questions: nutritional quality (chemical analysis), fungi, insects, and improved drying techniques.

Opening remarks

The opening remarks (p. 5) provide a rationale for this workshop: fish drying is an essential part of Indonesian traditional food preparation, and continues to account for 50% of processed fish (much of which is exported), despite falling dried fish consumption “as the people's welfare improves”. The stated goals are to provide improved drying technology, lower salt content, and new products to meet the needs of contemporary consumers.

Ministry of Fisheries

The Ministry of Fisheries contribution (Abdullah) seems typical of a government policy document: policy goals for the sector are framed with slogan-like language (“creating an agriculture sector that is advanced, efficient and strong”), focusing ultimately on development indicators that are primarily economic - productivity, poverty reduction, adoption of better technology, “optimal and sustainable” resource use, fishers' welfare, employment, “efficiency”, etc. Proposed policy interventions are guided by applying “agribusiness principles” to fisheries.

Soegiyono

The contribution by Soegiyono (traditional fish processor from East Java) begins with a list of all the technical challenges - deterioration of catch due to spoilage, poor facilities for landing and handling fish, lack of knowledge, etc. There is a useful description of the drying process (technology) and its labour economics. The author proposes an “industrial estate” and a fish processor cooperative as mechanisms for improving production processes and enhancing livelihoods.

Suparno

Suparno systematically discusses the weaknesses of processing methods, which can have a negative impact on the final product - poor handling, spoilage on the boat, inadequate salting due to use of impure salt, reuse of brine, and insect infestation.

Naamin

Naamin gives a good overview of the fish sector, with production quantities and tables showing processing amounts by output (1984-1991), which could be used for comparative purposes. Data from this article are reproduced in the table and graph below.

End uses of marine fishery production in Indonesia (Champ and Highley 1994)

Use	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Marketing fresh	853647	878607	928944	1061060	1188406	1230455	1266462	1322850
Drying/salting	561493	636566	665298	626887	667373	660416	682769	745851
Boiling	121210	121599	125248	119554	84036	118416	121157	134323
Making belachan	33152	40834	39004	45262	51723	55077	56562	53190
Making fish peda	10536	6599	15095	7706	6619	13586	13641	12092
Making fish sauce	118	501	969	2005	1145	311	874	1242
Smoking	44531	44294	52867	54998	431886	44752	52182	60866
Other preservation	16113	17389	19568	17412	16439	16141	21456	17998
Freezing	46183	58573	66851	65163	81541	84605	108768	122104
Canning	16504	7772	5587	13015	11991	28063	25945	33488
Fish meal production	9317	6001	3350	4288	17098	20182	20291	33588

The main observations:

• Marine fishery production increased by about 50% in the late 1980s

• There is an increase in freezing and fish meal production, but the overal proportion of fish processing types remained stable.

• About half the fish was processed. Within the category of processed fish, the majority was dried and/or salted. This is despite the fact that Indonesia is one of the largest tuna canners in the world (p. 16)

Notes that fish consumption is up to 8 times higher in some parts of Indonesia than in others (p. 14).

• 16. About 30% of dried fish was produced in “modern mechanised factories”.
• 17. Indication of species and curing methods.

Manurung

Manurung discusses consumption patterns for salted fish, based on 1987 census data. There are tables (p. 27) showing household expenditure share for salted and fresh fish; the main observation here is that low-income consumers rely mainly on fish (around 10% of food expenditure) and almost no meat, but the proportion of the budget spent on meat increases with income, and eventually surpasses fish. Expenditures on fresh fish are 4-5x higher than on salted fish, but salted fish consumption decreases with income, particularly in urban areas (p. 28), though the author claims that this “does not necessarily mean that salted fish consumption will fall with rising incomes” (p. 29). The author suggests that there is a need to invest in dried fish products that target higher-end consumers (improved product quality, standardized production methods).

Fegan

B. Fegan (an Australian anthropologist) presents basic findings related to a drying technology project that used agricultural waste (rice hulls) as fuel for combustion-heated drying cabinets. (See also the paper by Souness and Wibowo in the same volume, which presents figures and a description of the dryer design.) This is a “socioeconomic” analysis involving literature review, interviews, and 3x2 weeks of rapid assessment fieldwork intended to “make sense” of the rationality of different actors in the value chain. (N.B. this is a dried fish value chain approach.)

Key findings:

• Consumers prefer fresh fish to dried fish when they can obtain and afford it (33), but there is still a large market of poor consumers who need access to indexpensive dried fish

• Intensification of market-oriented production is constrained by external factors such as transportation options (this is the main limitation to developing fish processing in Eastern Indonesia for the Java market; see also comments on p. 35).

• LACK OF DATA: “No material could be located on the size of fixed and working capital of the processors and traders, hierarchy of central places, or how the types of actors interact with each other to make the whole system work. There is nothing in fisheries statistics or published work on whether there are generally agreed commercial grades, or how actors negotiate on quality, price, quantity, delivery date, credit, and how buyer and seller communicate, strike a bargain, and make payment at a distance. “ (33) - This appears to be still the case? Fegan notes that most publications are on technical factors, involving “laboratory research under technically optimum conditions without reference to traditional practices as controls, or to economic constraints”.

• State fishing zoning (onshore/offshore) regulations have a direct impact on fishing practices (how long boats are out to sea, how far they can go, which fish they can effectively catch and return without spoilage, etc.)

• As of publication all commercially sold fish were supposed to go through government wholesale markets, providing a source of sales data

• Some processors purchased bycatch or otherwise unwanted/low-value/spoiled fish as a “salvage” system. This sets an “informal floor price” that subsidizes fishers and fresh-fish sellers.

• Sun drying vs. drying options reflect weather cycles (36)

• Useful distinctions between small-scale, full-time artisanal, medium-scale, and large-scale/industrial processors (36-37). The author estimates that around 80% of processing is by full-time artisanal processors. Their main economic strategy is “margin trading”, using liquid capital to buy fish and relying on unpaid family labour. Processors have limited cash flow, so are very reluctant to invest in fixed capital such as dryers. (Working capital is their main constraint to production, rather than drying capacity, in their view.)

Health and food safety

Information on health and food safety is available from miscellaneous sources, including:

• health impacts of salt content [5]

• presence of salt-tolerant fungus [6] -- this source has a focus on Sri Lanka, but notes however several published studies of fungus in Indonesian dried fish by KA Wheeler, AD Hocking, and colleagues

• Nutritional analysis: amino acid composition of bakasang fish sauce [7] and smoked catfish [8]

• mites [9] (passim) - D. carnivorus is identified as “frequently found on cured fish in the hot humid climate of Indonesia”

• Health effect of salt from dried-salted fish, e.g., through lab studies on rats [5]. This study notes that salt-cured fish reduces protein content (since some proteins are soluble) and has negative health impacts such as hypertension. Rats fed salt fish did not grow as much.

• improved technique for storing fish to prevent degradation, e.g. through chemical preservatives and humidity control [10]

Other

The introduction (background) to Astawan et al. [5] has some interesting information in passing - e.g., consumer preferences are changing (reduced tolerance for very salty dishes).

The variation [in salt-drying technique] includes the method of salting (dry or brine salting), concentration of salt (between 5 and 30%), and drying technique (sun dried or artificial drier). Salting times also vary from 20 to 30 min in the Philippines to 48 h in Indonesia (Wootton and Ismail, 1986). Different countries also prefer salted fish of various moisture contents. Nigerian consumers prefer their products with 33% water, whereas those in the United States prefer a moisture content of 50% (Pigott and Tucker, 1991). With regard to the salt content, Asians prefer saltier fish products than do Europeans.

Passing reference in Kandoran et al. [11] to international trade outside Gujarat:

Almost the entire quantity of Bombay duck is sun-dried at present by the age old method. Some quantity of this crude dried product is exported to foreign countries such as Mauritius, Ceylon, Burma, Singapore and Indonesia. A small quantity is converted into dried laminated Born bay duck which has got a good market in foreign countries like United Kingdom.