The survey methods had weaknesses which could have been resolved if more time had been available for pre-testing. A slightly revised interview schedule, the result of field testing, is attached as Appendix 5 for use in any future investigations.
Results from the survey show that the majority of households eat fresh fish or sun-dried fresh fish and had interest in eating more. Currently, fresh fish is eaten very infrequently largely due to lack of availability.
One of the main reasons given by respondents for not eating more fresh fish is that they do not know how to catch fish or, in the case of female respondents, that they also feel that they do not have fishing access to the reservoir.
The survey team also found that households spoke of decreasing wage employment opportunities for young men mainly because jobs in the mines of the Republic of South Africa are becoming scarce.
A common method to prepare fresh fish is sun-drying before frying or roasting. This is partly because respondents felt that the process softened the bones and also because they do not like the smell of fresh fish. This indicates that there is some resistance to fresh fish. One possible reason is that, as households are familiar with dried meat, the process is already an acceptable way of preparing animal flesh. Another possible reason could be that, fresh fish usually arrives at the household in whole form i.e. not gutted, and therefore the fish may already have begun to spoil.
The occurrence of sun-drying is important in terms of fish preservation when the household has a surplus of fresh fish, but it also has implications for income generating activities in rural areas. Sun-dried fish can be prepared at home and it can be sold at a time which is more convenient to the household, without fear of the fish spoiling. In this way, the household may be able to attain better prices for their fish than when they sell fresh fish.
Many households said that they like the taste of pre-cooked fried fish (fish and chips) which indicates that there is a potential to demonstrate ways of preparing fresh fish to make it more palatable, and closer in taste to the cooked fish that respondents are familiar with.
The availability, ease of storage and preparation may account for the fact that tinned fish is eaten more often than any other type of fish. Data at the national level also indicate that tinned fish is the most commonly eaten fish, although this does not necessarily mean that, if households had a broader choice of fish and fish products, tinned fish would still be preferred. As households have indicated their interest for increased consumption of fresh fish, increased availability of fresh fish and sun-dried fish is likely to be substituted for tinned fish (provided the prices are competitive), rather than other forms of animal protein such as chicken or meat which, are the preferred sources of animal protein.
Consumption of ducks is less common than that of fresh fish in the selected areas. Only 55% of households reported that they ate ducks, 80% of these households eating them only very occasionally. The main reasons why households did not eat duck can be divided into two main categories, firstly that they were not available and, secondly, that respondents did not like the appearance, smell or the thought of eating ducks. It is possible that the acceptability of ducks in these areas may be more difficult than that of fish, as ducks will be regarded as a substitute to chicken, especially if they are of comparable price.
