Abstract

Fish, one of the most significant source of animal protein, is a major component of a balanced low-fat healthy diet, and it is a good source of a number of beneficial compounds. In particular, white fleshed fish, is lesser in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or the “good” fats. Fish are low in the “bad” fats usually found in red meat, called omega-6 fatty acids. The present study was carried out in Southern part of Kashmir in J&K region with the aim to access the consumer’s behavior towards fish consumption and awareness about the health benefits of eating fish. In this paper, stratified random sampling technique was adopted to collect the data from a sample of 400 respondents using well-designed validated questionnaire. The results of our study revealed that cultural, socioeconomic factors like financial status of people, education status of the family head, awareness about the health benefits of eating fish, cost and availability of fish in the market of Kashmir valley plays an important role in fish consumption among the people of district Anantnag of Kashmir valley. It was noticed that majority of the respondents understudy (27.0%) preferred Trout, 29.5% preferred Carp, 11.0 % preferred Schizothorax and 32.5% respondents had no specific choice. Further, group discussion with people involved in fisheries business revealed that 73.5% respondents believe that there is a great scope for fish farming in Kashmir valley. Finally, the researchers discussed the health benefits of eating fish and marketing problems of fish in Kashmir valley. Keywords: Fish; Kashmir; Socio-economics; Consumer Preference; Statistics.