Fish Markets
Fresh fish available at the fish market next to Uliga Dock. Photo: Karen Earnshaw
Fresh fish from the outer islands can be found at the fish market next to Uliga Dock. Shopping at the market is win-win for you (delicious fish) and for the people on the outer islands (hard to come by dollars). The facility was built with funds from Japan and was completed in 2011. It is operated by the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA).
As well as fresh fish, the market’s staff prepare dried fish jerky, which is approved for mailing overseas. If you need ice in large quantities, the fish market is the place to buy (it’s good quality and its water is fine for drinking).
[su_box title=”EARNINGS FOR OUTER ISLANDS FISHERMEN” style=”bubbles” box_color=”#3082d6″ radius=”4″]In the financial year 2021, the Outer Islands Fish Market Centers (OIFMC) in Majuro and Kwajalein purchased 41,746 pounds of fish from remote fishers, resulting in $50,708 in payments to the fisherfolk. * Information source: MIMRA Annual Report FY2021.[/su_box]
Colorful fresh fish at the Majuro fish market. Photo: Karen Earnshaw
To give you an idea of how often the Majuro market has fresh fish in one year
OIFMC vessels successfully picked up fish from the following outer islands during 2021: Arno (22 trips), Maloelap (4 trips), Aur (3 trips), Wotje (2 trips), and Jaluit, Mili, Likiep, and Namu (1 trip each). These trips provide fishers with income as the Coastal Division through the purchase of fish and fish products.
For the Arno fishers, a total of 15,036.8 pounds of fish were purchased at a value of $16,018.43; 5,107 pounds of fish were purchased from Aur fishers at a value of $4,354.50; Jaluit fishermen received $596.25 for 725 pounds of fish; Maloelap fishers received $4,126.30 for 4,765 pounds of fish; Mili fishers received $1,500.25 for 1,078 pounds of fish; Namu fishers received $1,835.00 for 1,835 pounds of fish; and Wotje fishers received $4,522.62 for 3,358.5 pounds of fish.
The monetary benefits that the fishers from these seven atolls received directly totaled $32,953.30 for the 31,905.3 pounds of fish purchased. The OIFMC enforced quality and size limits on the fish that are brought in from the outer islands. With fuel costs remaining high, OIFMC several years ago initiated grouping atolls in one trip to maximize the amount of fish landed on Majuro per trip. In addition, for fishers from Arno with access to boats, OIFMC directly purchases their catches on Majuro.
CONTACT: You can contact the Outer Islands Fish Market Center on (692) 625-2334.
For more info, check out MIMRA’s site.
