The study, carried out in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, has analysed the market structure and risks of ornamental fish enterprise by surveying a total of 71 ornamental fish entrepreneurs. The analytical tools included frequency distribution, percentage analysis, chi-square test and sign test. The study has shown that most of the ornamental fish entrepreneurs undertake fish-rearing as a major activity, followed by retailing and breeding plus rearing. Ornamental fish enterprise has shown three market intermediaries, viz. rearers, retailers and breeder plus rearer, and four marketing channels. The fishes like goldfish, angel and guppy have shown adequate demand in ornamental fish market. The maximum ornamental fish entrepreneurs were procuring fish from Mumbai wholesale market. The major risks perceived by the ornamental fish entrepreneurs included non-availability of technical advice, future prices, non-availability of trainings, insufficient live food, brood stock availability, poor access to credit, non-availability of crop insurance schemes, heavy mortality losses and poor transportation facility.
Ornamental fish, aquarium fishes, marketing channels, risks, perceptions, Maharashtra
