Small fish is an important dietary source of vitamin A and calcium in rural Bangladesh

Fish plays an important role in the Bangladeshi diet, constituting the main animal food in rural households. Fish consumption is dominated by wild small (length<25 cm) indigenous fish species (SIS). A study was conducted to evaluate the dietary contribution of vitamin A and calcium from fish in rural Bangladesh. Seasonal fish consumption was surveyed in 84 rural households in Kishoreganj district using a 5 day recall method. Fifty-nine of the households practised aquaculture, producing carps and SIS in small ponds. The intra-household distribution of a standardised fish dish was surveyed in 20 households by weighing. The contribution of vitamin A and calcium from fish was calculated as a nutrient contribution ratio, expressing the nutrient intake from fish relative to the recommended intake at household level. The mean amount of fish consumed in all households was 37 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=27) in July 1997. 82 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=64) in October 1997, and 55 g raw edible parts/person/day (median=42) in February 1998. A total of 44 fish species was recorded in the diet. SIS contributed 84% of the total fish intake. Fish bought in the local markets was the most important source of fish in both fish-producing and non-fish-producing households. The intra-household fish distribution showed that the heads of the households (all males) were favoured over females and other males. In October, the; mean nutrient contribution ratio for vitamin A was 40% (median=23%) and for calcium was 32% (median=26%). SIS contributed more than 99% of vitamin A and calcium intakes from the total fish intake. Mola, a vitamin A-rich SIS, was produced in 34 of the fish-producing households. Mola harvested from the ponds and consumed in the households contributed, on average, 21% (median=18%) of the household recommended intake of vitamin A in a 7 month period. SIS is an important and perhaps irreplaceable dietary source of vitamin A and calcium, and promotion of the availability and accessibility of SIS for the population in rural Bangladesh should be given priority.