Fish is considered one of the most nutritious and highly desirable foods due to its high nutritional value being rich in proteins, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. Fish and seafood constitute important foods for a large segment of the world's population. Fish contains n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which are extremely important for health-conscious people, particularly in wealthy countries where mortality due to cardiovascular disease is high. It is stated that fish contributes approximately 60% of the world's protein supply. Fish contains a higher amount of myofibrillar proteins that are easily digestible than proteins found from other sources. Fish are of great concern for export earnings due to their higher nutritional value, low cholesterol level and presence of essential amino acids. Bangladesh was the fifth largest aquaculture producing country in the world, accounting for half of the country's total fish production in 2015-2016. A large part of the population is directly or indirectly engaged in the fishing sector. This sector contributes 3.65% to GDP and 1.97% to foreign exchange earnings through exports. It is Bangladesh's second largest export industry and produces 2.5% of global shrimp production. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Shrimp export accounts for 92% of the total export earnings of fish and fishery products from Bangladesh. Export of fishery products such as frozen shrimp, dried fish, salted fish, fish maw, shark fins, turtles and tortoises are increasingly emerging as an important economic activity in Bangladesh. Bangladesh exports frozen shrimp to around 40 countries in the world, among which USA, Belgium, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, France, Denmark, Vietnam, Russia and Italy are the top 10 buying countries. A core group and 82 lakh people were directly and indirectly involved in the fisheries sector as a source of income in 2014-2015. In the year 2015-2016, the total fish production was 38 million tonnes and export earnings were 4,282 core tk. Fishing in inland waters contributes approximately 72% of the total catches and the remaining 28% comes from marine fishing, there are approximately 1093 marine aquatic organisms of which 44.35% are fish, 32.23% molluscs. There are around 173 fish processing plants in Bangladesh, mostly located in port cities (Khulna and Chittagong regions), of which 76 processing plants are EU approved. Every year a huge amount of shrimp is rejected for export due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Inadequate facilities for fish storage, limited use of ice to preserve shrimp, improper and unhygienic handling of shrimp etc. could be considered factors contributing to the emergence of these pathogens. Furthermore, the safe consumption of fish and fishery products requires adequate sanitary conditions from harvest to consumption. The consumption of fish and shellfish can also cause illnesses due to infections or poisoning. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli, usually related to the consumption of fish infected with bacterial species, particularly Salmonella and E. coli. Salmonella infections in humans mainly include typhoid fever, and these infections are commonly called enteric fever.
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