Once discarded as waste after fish were cut and cleaned, fish scales are now providing a modest but important source of additional income for fishing families in sadar upazila of Narail district.
For the families of Pankabila, the change is already visible. What once ended up in the garbage is now carefully collected, dried in the sun and sold — turning an overlooked byproduct of the fish trade into a small but meaningful addition to the household purse.
Alongside selling fish, many families in the district collect, clean, dry and sell the scales, helping them meet household expenses while turning what was once considered waste into a valuable commodity.
A recent visit to Pankabila Jelepalli in Aouria Union under Sadar upazila of Narail district, tis correspondent found fish scales of different sizes spread out in courtyards and open spaces beside the Chitra River to dry under the sun.
Some were laid out on bamboo mats, some on polythene sheets and others directly on clean ground. Men and women of the families were busy with different stages of the work — cleaning the scales, spreading them out to dry and turning them over from time to time.
There are around 90 to 100 families in Pankabila Jelepalli, of which around 40 to 50 have been involved in collecting and selling fish scales for between five and 16 years.
For these families, selling fish scales has gradually become an important supplementary source of income alongside their traditional fish trade.
A growing market
Fish scales are increasingly being used as raw materials in various industries, particularly in pharmaceutical products and poultry feed. Processed fish scales are also being supplied to overseas markets, with growing export prospects in countries including Japan, China and several European nations.
As a result, a byproduct once thrown away after fish were cut is now contributing both to reducing waste and creating new economic opportunities.
Ticantu Sarker, a fisherman and fish trader from Pankabila, said they used to throw away the scales after cutting fish.
“Now we collect them separately, bring them home, clean them and dry them in the sun for several days. Later, we sell them to traders. It gives us some additional income alongside selling fish,” he said.
Supal Biswas, another fisherman and fish trader, said fish scales currently sell for Tk 70 to Tk 80 per kilogramme, while good-quality scales can fetch up to Tk 100 per kg.
“Traders from Jessore, Nauapara and Dhaka, among other places, come here every three or four months to buy the scales,” he said.
Women join the income-generating work
The trade has also created an opportunity for women in fishing households to contribute directly to family earnings.
Several housewives in the area said that in the past, the scales were simply thrown away with other household waste. Now, they separate, clean, dry and store them before selling them.
The money earned from the sales helps cover daily household expenses, while also allowing families to contribute to the educational costs of their children.
Dayal Shil Shubho, a resident of Pankabila, said many fishing families in his neighbourhood collect scales alongside selling fish.
“Both men and women in the families are involved in this work. The money earned by selling the scales helps them meet household expenses and pay for their children's education,” he said.
Bigger fish, better demand
Local fish traders said the demand and price of scales vary depending on the species and size of the fish.
Scales from larger fish such as rui, catla, grass carp and black carp are in comparatively higher demand. As the scales of these larger fish are bigger, they are also easier to collect, clean and dry.
For families already engaged in the fish trade, the process requires little additional investment, making it a practical way to generate extra earnings from an existing activity.
‘Scales are no longer waste’
Md Saiduzzaman, senior upazila fisheries officer of Narail Sadar, said fish scales should now be viewed as a valuable resource rather than waste.
He said members of the Pankabila fishing community collect scales while preparing fish for cooking, or making them “ready to cook”, at Rupganj Fish Market.
“These scales are being processed and exported abroad, while their demand in various industries is also increasing,” he said.
The fisheries department is raising awareness among fishermen and encouraging them to become more involved in the sector so that fish-scale collection and sales can develop into a sustainable source of income, he added.