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Jafarabad quay in Gujarat, India. The main catch here is a species of lizardfish known as Bombay Duck, a pungent and protein-rich pelagic fish popular in curries and sauces. As with many food industries in India, jobs are divided by gender, with men working the boats and nets during the eight-month season and women drying the fish on outdoor racks made of rope. The Bombay Duck fishery supports more than a million workers along India’s northeast and northwest coasts and produces around 100,000 tons a year. Dried Bombay Duck was popular in the Indian communities of Great Britain until imports were banned in 1997 because of poor quality control in the traditional drying yards. Government researchers are promoting a hygienic drying and packaging process under fly nets, but the old ways die hard. While landings of Bombay Duck fluctuate widely, recent research suggests they are overfished. Jafarabad fishermen told Steinmetz the fish stocks are decreasing, forcing them farther out to sea and costing them precious time and fuel.

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Jafarabad quay in Gujarat, India. The main catch here is a species of lizardfish known as Bombay Duck, a pungent and protein-rich pelagic fish popular in curries and sauces. As with many food industries in India, jobs are divided by gender, with men working the boats and nets during the eight-month season and women drying the fish on outdoor racks made of rope. The Bombay Duck fishery supports more than a million workers along India’s northeast and northwest coasts and produces around 100,000 tons a year. Dried Bombay Duck was popular in the Indian communities of Great Britain until imports were banned in 1997 because of poor quality control in the traditional drying yards. Government researchers are promoting a hygienic drying and packaging process under fly nets, but the old ways die hard. While landings of Bombay Duck fluctuate widely, recent research suggests they are overfished. Jafarabad fishermen told Steinmetz the fish stocks are decreasing, forcing them farther out to sea and costing them precious time and fuel.

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