Disposition of fish smokers and consumers

The quality of fish smoking depends on the fuels used, the type of smoker and the smoking method adopted. This study aims to improve the willingness of fish smokers and consumers to opt for good-quality smoked fish. To this end, 90 fishmongers were identified and surveyed during the smoking process, while 70 consumers were surveyed in the communes of Abomey-Calavi and Cotonou. The data collected concerned the species of fish smoked, the pre-smoking operations carried out, the type of smoker and fuel used, the parameters for choosing smoked fish at the time of purchase, the species of smoked fish consumed, consumer satisfaction and expectations regarding the quality of the smoked fish purchased, and the length of time the fish had been smoked and marketed. SAS (2006) software was used to analyze the data, and fish species was taken as the source of variation. The study revealed that 35.71% and 60% of fish smokers in Mèdéjonou and Wlacodji respectively were able to smoke fish at home.