Importance of 'Trash fish'

The term trash fish or garbage fish refers to a type of fish that is considered rubbish. But the term "trash" is a bit misleading, as trash fish can have commercial value and they play an important role in the ecosystem. These fish are also known as "rough fish" in some regions of the world.
Definitions of what constitutes a trash fish are variable. Over time, attitudes about particular fish species may evolve. The lobster, for example, was once regarded as fodder for only the most desperate of the lower classes. It is today a delicacy in many regions. Likewise, carp is a trash fish in the United States, but is highly prized in Asia as a food and in Europe, as a sport fish. These varying attitudes reflect availability of different fish species. The more available a fish is in a region, it may be considered trash there while the fish types which are less available are regarded as valuable. When supply of popular fishes decline, people look for substitutes and are likely to turn to fish types they had previously rejected.
Even if a fish has no food value, cannot be sold in the market for a hefty price, and is of no interest to sport anglers, it can still have environmental value. Aquatic ecosystems are complex and highly interconnected.
A bottom-feeding fish like a lamprey may not be desirable to humans. But they contribute to water quality and support conditions that allow more popular fish species to thrive. Disrupting the biodiversity of an ecosystem can result in the collapse of fisheries sector in a country.
Nusrat Jahan Bithy
Fisheries and Marine Science
department,
Noakhali Science and
Technology University
[email protected]