How Chinese Demand For Fish Maw (Swim Bladder) Fuels A $52 Million Industry In Uganda | So Expensive
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2023
- Warning: Graphic Content
Fish maw - the swim bladder of a fish - is one of the most expensive dried-seafood products in the world. A Chinese delicacy, it can fetch $450 to $1,000 per kilogram. It’s often viewed as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, and it's given out as gifts at important events and stockpiled as a speculative investment. It’s one of the “four treasures” of Cantonese cuisine, along with abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin. But the main reason fish maw is so desired is its supposed medical value. Because of its high levels of collagen and fiber, it's believed to promote healthy skin, boost the immune system, and aid digestion. Fish maw is also often recommended in China for postpartum recovery and to reduce post-surgery pain. But because of overfishing in East Asia, China now imports the majority of its bladders from other countries, like Uganda. In Uganda, fishers compete for Nile perch in Lake Victoria and ship them to China for extremely high prices.
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How Chinese Demand For Fish Maw (Swim Bladder) Fuels A $52 Million Industry In Uganda
I breed and raise African cichlids in the USA, quite a few are from lake Victoria.
What most people don't know is how massive of an impact these fish have had on the native species
The Nile perch they are catching are absolutely decimating the native speices, and have been for decades. Most Native species in the lake max out at 5", which is snack size for these big fish.
It's great there is a high demand for them. I am glad the fisherman are targeting them, which is helping keep the numbers down.
Hopefully one day, they can be eradicated so the lake can go back to what it once was.
Many species in lake Victoria are endemic to the lake, and many species have been red listed or gone extinct, so the removal of these non native apex predators is the only way these native fish will survive.
For anybody curious about what native fish I'm talking about, look up Victorian cichlids.
There are hundreds of different species and many of them are absolutely gorgeous, bright reds, greens, blues, yellows etc..
Ever think of training them to eat there own kind?
Like rats??
So using that same logic, humans should also be hunted and killed because we're the ones killing everything.
Americans can't think like you. They just see a big fish and think 'oh it must be very old. you shouldn't kill that. you piece of shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' That's how exactly Americans will say.
Tangayikan Cichlids keeper here. *waves*
@@Joe-sg9llLOL 🤣
FYI that maw also has a purpose in the medical industry, it is used to make surgical threads.
I got a feeling that in China, every part of the animal is anti aging other than regular meat
Helplessly delusional
@@koopa5504 They sure live a hell of a lot healthier for longer compared to Americans though, don't they?
@@LiNapster First of all they don't live longer, they're about at the same range of age expectancy. Secondly, I'm swiss, ranked 3-4 in terms of life expectancy and we don't know fairy tales like asians like to spread literred with unscientific nonsense. Healthier? I doubt, but yes americans are horribly unhealthy and uneducated in general.. doesn't make asians, especially chinese, less delusional in terms of buying fraud products with supposed "health benefits" ...it's all about manipulation and mind-controll, ask the media and the people about critizising the government.
@@LiNapster Yeah, but where's their quality of life? I'll give up a few decades of my life so that I can eat normal meat and not fish assholes and turtle testes.
@@LiNapster the life expectancy of China is not higher than the USA
Can I point out how really cool it is that this market has switched from an endangered species to an invasive one? They are helping to preserve one ecosystem while profiting from it, which is nice.
(As for the totoaba problem, 😐😬🙃)
You have no clue what your talking Dude..they Just will destroy the next fish....Not cool..Money or not
@@rentoshine2038 If it's invasive, it's best to just remove it from the invaded territory. Invasive species can completely affect the ecosystem, destroying the native population they prey on, while having no natural predators, or outcompeting species in their niche. This unbalance can even lead native species to extinction. As invasive species are generally our fault (humans trading animals, plants, etc., and letting them escape), I don't see a problem in making an industry that relies on hunting/removing an invasive species. This can really help to stabilize the invaded environment, to avoid even more extinctions.
As for the endangered species, like the ones illegaly traded, yeah, hunting them is really bad.
u get it. at some point we just have to stop letting the locusts consume everything in site.@@rentoshine2038
totoaba problem is honestly is so destructive , it also causing the vaquita extinction . We all witnessing this in this timeline , there's less than 15 left in the wild.
@@rentoshine2038shut up
Love to see a Ugandan fisherman make way above average by EU standards
"It tastes better than pizza" 😭😭😭
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
How about you put it on pizza 🤯
lol pizza that’s it !!!! PIZZA!!!!!
Lol they must have not had good pizza
@@jonathanyoung8109 i m italian.....after the pineapple this.......do you want to kill us all?
Can I commend the narrator on her smooth narration and calming delivery. Wonderful job
Thank you!
You're thinking an AI robot.
@@OneOut1 Well, the AI's HUMAN name is literally listed at the end of every video...
As a Ugandan I would like to say that this trade has fuelled rampant government corruption and imprisonment of fish traders in the country.
Anywhere there is money there will be corruption. But i think for the short term it definitely gonna give some boost. Long term i see these fish going away
Oh boy. I am so sorry.
Everywhere if there is money to be made, there will be corruption. Just live simple lives, catch your own food, eat, sleep and relax.
What a surprise... It seems like everything Chinese people get involved with in Africa involves corruption. China is extremely corrupt, so they must feel right at home when doing business there.
Lol guess what? Even if you get rid of this trade, "rampant government corruption" will not go away.
The problem isn't related to trading in general, it's related to...something else. I hope you can figure it out someday.
I am also relate from fishmaw bussiness. This video is very informative and best. Thank alot for this wonderful video 🤝
proud of them hard workers, they deserve more just this little opportunity and loophole💯
Fun fact: you can make glue from the fish maw. This glue has traditionally been used in composite bows
and surgical threads!
@@CampbellJRMartinyeah! it's weird i don't see anyone mentioning this
I love fish maw. Its delicious in soups and has a great texture!
Lol literally what I was gonna type the same. I just thought it tastes good and texturally contrast to the crab meat. I hate saying this but I feel the west is so ignorant sometimes. Like they’re the only ones on this earth lol. There are other shit in the world ppl are aloud to be different. I was shookethhhh when I when I was offered Rocky Mountain oysters and was knocking them back until those bastards told me they were literally balls lol. 🤷🏻 perception changes.
@@sovitaseng5519 am looking for market, any referral please
Glad that the belt and road initiative has reached Uganda
The most expensive piece i saw in person, was a piece weight ~1kg dried, 200k$ for that piece. It's from a rare species, Boesemania microlepis, existing only in certain fresh water bodies in Southeast Asia. As weird as it sounds, traders have to store these literal gold in safes.
If something sells for 200k you bet your ass I am putting that shit into a gold safe
@@penguinpingu3807 not the weirdest way people store these stuff, one trader i know rent a safe in a bank to store a 20k piece.
@@penguinpingu3807 Imagine coming home and your wife accidentally cook it for dinner. LOL
@@walden6272 ngl, I would be eating it because that thing is for eating. Though, I would be piss because it supposed to be for a special occasion.
Why the hell does it matter if fish maw comes from a certain species, they all taste the same lol
The Schrutes value hog maw the most; especially around holidays.
I've had fish maw and it is delicious. It's made in casseroles, stews and soups. Not fishy tasting at all.
Thank you for showcasing our country. 😅😊
i love how chill the ugandan guy is
Meen am enjoying this video
We live in Sitiawan town in Malaysia. The people here like to eat fish maw cook in sweet and sour soup..
Hahaha Hakeem the fisher @ 7:41 is hilarious, give that man the maw and the money! You understand?
Fish maw taste amazing !
Oh wow so much fish maw. Yum!
loveee fish maw its so good
I love eating fish maw, abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin soup.
That's the good shit
🤢
Dude is playing endangered species bingo
Chinese will say any endangered crap is a viagra
Yellow croakers are farmed raised now, but what I see are small fish. It might be too expensive to raise them to get a decent size swim bladder. I on the other hand substitute it with fried pork rind. although, I would try to get the baked version of it. But I wouldn't know what to do with the type of swim bladder I see. I never used i, but I might know what to do if they fried it up and it puffs up like pork rind. And for those who are form Europe, It used in some beer. it's called isenglass.
Interesting! I've never heard such thing called isinglass before and just googled it to confirm what u said. Thanks.
He has that love every fisherman has for the fight the fish gives❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
This is awesome, i hope it doesn't encourage people to breed them for profit. I love that they're removing an invasive and making good money
So you Devils can make money but God's chosen people can't make a profit off of our own land and fishes? That is literally ass backwards
Perch and Carp propagate like weeds. They are ravenous pests and need no breeding.
Hats off to finding a lucrative way to take care of a invasive species
Here in indonesia, we also have a species of fish that most expensive their swimp blader, we called by "Tirus" , for 10 kg of fish price 5000 $ but . The different with Uganda, we not pop the blader.
Barramundi
@@eggbenedict-gt7mw different
My favorite soup. But so expensive. Only can eat it once a year.
It's a luxury for sure.
Make it with fried pork rind.
Fish maw soup taste divine.
WHY NOT USE ASIAN CARP!!!! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!
If it is an invasive species in Lake Victoria then they are raking dollars here while helping the local population of these fish in check.
Ooo yummy dried fish bladders lol!
My question is: can you use salt water fish as well? Most fish have swim bladders. You figure most fish processors would welcome a new income stream. I get that not all of them may be "perfect" but you can at least hit that budget conscious niche.
Since we have an Asian carp problem in some areas of the US, then hunting them for their maws (as well as meat) would incentivize more people to go after them.
Yes, you can use swim bladders from salt water fish and turn them into fish maw, in fact, the most expensive fish maw usually comes from the croaker family, croakers are salt water fishes
I might be wrong, but from what I heard carp has a muddy smell to their meat, and I guess their swim bladder will have the same issue to for it to be considered
yes. if you watch the video, the chinese originally use yellow croaker. It's being farmed, but the ones i see in the market is small. It might not be economically to farm one that yield a good size bladder. and small I mean the length of a hand and the bladder would be the size of a finger . Not sure which finger.
the Taotoba they mention is found in the gulf of california.
Most of the Swin bladder is from the conger pike . I think I see them coming from SOuth Africa.
and the problem with Asian carp is that it's fast growing and cheap. if you can cheaply catch them , it could be processed for something we eat as well.
I thought the carp issue was too much pollution in US waters
now i can finally find out where it comes from. those things are great
Fried fish maw in soup is delicious. Chewy and squishy.
Very yummy indeed , especially for soups ❤
Does chinese market have any interest in lion fish? It would help a lot
I need it in large quantities, and I will buy as much as I can. As long as you have the goods and you are willing to wholesale, I will buy them all.
Im a chinese from South America. I sell fish maws. How can I contact you?
@@leagueplayer9710 How much per kilogram
Tastes better than Ugandan pizza or REAL pizza??? 👀 😅
I was asking the same question.
lol😂😂😂
That man is a true snake oil salesman
I tried this fish bladders once. I'd said they are indeed tasted very good. But Pizza still the winner for me lol.
@@asjoe444 had this more than once and its one of my favorite things to have if it's available but not something i'd really go out of my way to have. the taste is pretty neutral but mate i swear to god the texture is to die for and only a good chef can pull it off.
I gotta be honest. I had no idea wth I was eating when I first tried it.. but that thing is effing delicious...
How is it cooked???
Kind of remind me of dried pig ears. Dogs love em.
Yes I saw videos of these cooking the fish bladder but always wonder what is this is
Uganda: six fish, it was a bad day.
U.S.: we have a 4k maw as a keep sake.
My god the discrepancy.
The population of nile perch has been declining a good 15 years ago. We’ve known about this for some time now. Also, the average American doesn’t consume fish maw commercially. YES, the discrepancy is huge but we could have done something about this when I first heard about this decades ago.
Come on you guys please embrace the difference of each country’s food culture. Chinese discovered so many techniques and developed many methods to cook and preserve unusual cuts of the animals through our respect to the ingredients. This is pure legacy and wisdom. All countries in the world eats the same cuts of the animals, but that doesn’t mean we have to throw away the rest of the animals no? Open your mind, try before criticize.
"It tastes better than pizza" only because they want you to buy it 😂
If it taste like tripe I'll buy it.
If I was presented with pizza and soup made from swim bladder then I would chose the soup. lol
Holy shit, fish maw! Those things really do taste heavenly. My favorite is a soup, with some black vinegar. Yummmmmmmm
6:42 that weigh 30 kg😮?are kilograms different in India?
Win-win for both the locals (meat) and Chinese (fish swim bladder).
what kind of fish is that?
As a Ugandan, I will start demanding my fish as whole at the market 😅😅😅😅
Love this
I need it in abundance, as much as I want. As long as you have the goods
You need to catch the fish yourself.
Women in Uganda don't 😂
Indian Ghol fish also so expensive.
More exploration of Africa.
There’s only one reason Chinese don’t eat chicken testicles; because chickens don’t have testicles.
Chinese would eat anything to stop ageing 😅😅
Yin and yang is equilibrium, fish bladder doesn't float nor sink, it's equilibrium
Probably a chinese dude : Let's make DOOLLAZZZZ 💲
it's really strange seeing products that are supposedly very valuable and expensive being sold in open cardboard boxes and generic plastic bags. it don't get it, the japanese will wrap up cheap and trivial items so they look great, while these shops are selling luxury goods like junk at a yard sale.
And they handle them with bare hands throwing here and there..
I'm sure your new 2023 Lamborghini V8 was test driven by that 19 year old who drove it to the lot 😂
@@LiqqaRoni-cx3tx then prove it. tell us about the lamborghini delivery process and how it's as sloppy as tossing some fish parts in a cardboard box on the store floor and letting whoever comes by handle them.
Chinese don't have class
@@thaer12345 like you people don't have manner.
i still dont get it, why Chinese always practice old way without any proof of medicinal purpose
Because apparently, everything endangered will increase the size of their men's little non functioning testicles.
What gets me is at the end when that lady says it gives him nostalgia and it reminds them of back home, how's is that?
What happened to their fish what did they do with their fish did they ever have that kind of fish or they just like that fish from another country and if it is how is that nostalgia if they never have that fish till then?
😅
🧐
It's a childhood dish served at special occasions at the family table. Sort like turkey on Thanksgiving. So when you grow up, you want to carry on the tradition for your kids.
What happened to their fish 🐟
I don’t see a problem as long as its sustainably caughty, though it’s probably the main issue in this business
👍they can have ALL of mine
3:46 it’s early morning??
In what world in early morning the sun sits right on top of your head?
he wouldn't be lifting it like that if it was 30 kg's.
Looks like less than 10kg to me
They were very clearly not talking about the small fish he's holding. You think that he caught the biggest fish he's ever landed while they happened to be recording? Think critically for a second before getting all mad
@joshs3775 they literally said that he caught 6 fish that day and the biggest was 30kg they show all 6 fish and the one he was holding was the biggest one.. maybe you should know what you are on about before chiming in.. 😏
@@joshs3775 .
❤
Do not let this video distract you from the fact China ate these fish into near extinction and now are buying from Uganda so they can do it again.
It's mainly the umami it gives to soups.
That's crazy. Just over-fish one area and move to the next! sounds like a great plan
Nile perch is an invasive species and wiping out the native fish population in lake victoria
3:38 “Fishing for an invasive species”. It is not even that far down the videos man…
This is an invasive species, they are doing good for their environment and making money. Win Win.
Like the USA. Bomb one country and then onto thr next!
We should turn them on to the Asian carp in the US waters
Why anyone would spend that much on mild flavored collagen is beyond me. Shark fin, Abalone, & Sea cucumber aren't much better - they're all a lot tougher than other nicer types of seafood.
nostalgia, tradition, believing it keeps you young. The same can be said of the West when you talk about caviar which is just fish eggs, a shiny rock to give to someone for marriage, or anti aging serum beauty products that prey on the vain. The toughness is part of the it all, texture is very important in Asian cuisine and some people love chewy stuff.
@@callmekham8458 Fish eggs at least taste nice and salty and go pop. Not worth the price, but still pretty good.
4k a month is pretty good
I love how chinese literally eat the garbage parts of the animals so europeans can eat the good cuts lol
better than pizza? Now wait just a minute, Sir.
2 PLAYLIST VIDEO🎥
maybe they could work on the invasive carp in north america finaly?
No, because American carp would endanger China's national security
Used to be a lot of Nile perch like that at 50lbs they have just been over fished
Overfishing Nile perch on Lake Victoria is a good thing, Nile Perch is an invasive species introduced by British Colonial government from Egypt.
fish bladder is so delicious when you make soup out of it
We have a joke amongst us Chinese: “The planes in the sky, the trains on the ground, and the ships in the ocean: these things we don’t eat. Everything else, we do.”
Wrong. That's only a Hong Kong Cantonese saying. Only certain people eat exotic food because they want to challenge each other to bravery. Even those who eat some insects are people of hill tribes bordering Thailand, Vietnam region. Most other groups of Chinese do not eat those things. They just stick to the normal farm animals like most other people in the world.
Uh, I’ve had fish maw many times and never thought there was much taste to them. It’s pretty much bland collagen and protein until you put some sauce or soup on them. Nice crunch, but I wouldn’t pay much money for them.
Glad to hear that the trade is helping to manage an invasive species though. That’s how the Chinese like to handle it, eat our way out of the problem. Plenty of those untapped opportunities in the US.
Shark fin and Fish maw doesn't have much "taste" it gives the soup body and umami. you know like msg. It's a flavour enhancer.
So what do they do with the fish carcass ?
they said in the video that they sell the fish meat to local restaurants.
@@geoolympics Must’ve missed that. Thank you.
I wish they would have shown the preparation of it or something.
Clean and then air dry then you can oven it after the natural drying process to enlarge and puff it up
the story of the endangered totuava should also be about the vaquita (also endangered)
When he said it taste better than Pizza. I was literally holding a slice eating pizza. I was like is it reading my mind?
😂kind of!!😂😂😂😂😂
Lol. I really doubt it's better than pizza. Maybe if you've never had za 😂
$4000 per piece? some really old pieces go for more than 90k usd
30KG? more like 8 pounds!! LOL
try 3 maybe 4
Try a Chicago deep dish 🍕
Uh, I can't move and feel bloated for hours if not days. It's good, and in most days, I can't control myself. But fish maw soup feels healthier eating. I'll say, the pizza is far more addictive. YOU know, when You feel a bit sick. I challenge you to find a good place to get fish maw soup, and tell me, if it doesn't make you feel better. don't drink it if your nauseous. It is a fish product, and crab and other sea food would be in the mix.
fresh water fish also have this
One's rubbish is another person's treasure. A win-win scenario.
The strangest thing is how did the Chinese figure out a way to process fish swim bladder and eating it?
Instead of treating it as garbage and throwing it away.
In my country rich chinese people eat plecos
Dude must have strong hands for that line to not cut thru his hands!!
They eat all the fish in south china sea and now they are hunting corals in west philippine sea, they are sick
I really wish they'd eat their own endangered panda instead of other endangered species. Tell em panda hearts are the secret to immortality.
Oh eyo ye nuuni bulijjo gyenebuza 😅
You'd think that the Chinese would at least fork out for some refrigeration facilities here to preserve the quality of the product
We cook fish bladder glue for woodworking out of them.
Why not making fish farms for this kind of fish and maw , it will be a good idea to save the species and fulfill the big demands , like caviar fish farms
need to send china some lionfish and zebra mussels and florida pythons, best way to deal with invasive species is eating them.
Just tell them it has anti aging properties and helps with your vitality and BAM profit.
@@gaveintothedarkness better one is it increases libido they are crazy for that shit
For real china will probably buys them for 200$ each. if in a day you catch 30 then you can make 6000$ dollar a day.
they will eat snakeheads. zebra mussels are questionable, because they store heavy metals and might poison them. They will eat the snake and send us back boots. I am wondering why we don't see that part more often. they might like lionfish. I was told they are like scorpion fish in flavour. But they prefer live fish. Hong kong is falling apart, but if you got a bunch of them in a tank, it might make a good show for them to have them cook it.