iFoodS - Initiative for Food Safety: MAKOKO FISH MARKET - Sharks, Stingray and all the lovely sea creatures

Makoko Fish market - ASEJERE SMOKING FISH MARKET (Asejere means Trade with profit) is located at Yaba; it is a popular market off Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba. It is a busy and I think one of the longest streets in Lagos; which leads to the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

Makoko Market Entrance

At the office in www.easyshopeasycook.com , we come here between 2 - 4 times a week. The fish market opens every day but you get the best prices early in the morning on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that is why our Fresh Fish days at the office are on these two days. Monday is rather dry, Thursday - Saturday are for caterers that come to buy fish for weddings and parties. Knowing that fish is a well sort after dish at high profile parties the fishmongers increase their prices on these days because the caterers have no choice but to buy.


Fresh Asa or Osan Fish for weddings

Makoko Market Entrance

Makoko market is not by any standard a high profile fish market; the food safety standard here is …. In fact there is no food safety standard here except the regular cleaning of tables and sweeping of the floors. There is no rhythm and no rhyme, there is no particular structure in place but I get the feeling that somehow everyone knows their stall when the sun rises. Getting the traders here to wear aprons, gloves and caps will be a huge task but this is not my mission here today. I will look away from all the dirt and enjoy the beautiful creatures God put in the sea for us to eat, use as ornaments or just viewing pleasure.

Mothers and little kids all involved

The Market is dominated by Agoyin people from Cotonou. They are mostly fisher men's wives and children and they live around Makoko. Some within walking distance of the market while others use the canoe to and from their homes daily.

I sometimes buy fresh fish from Oyingbo market nearby and see some of my fishmonger friends there as well. Most trade at Makoko early in the morning and by noon go off to Oyingbo market to finish off leftovers from the morning sales.

Baby shark, Large Baracuda Fish, Crocker, Sole Fish

This Tuesday morning at Makoko, the fish was very pricey. This is because for some reason the fisher men could not catch a lot of fish. The fishermen at Epe who sometimes supply this market as well were also not successful so the little catch of the day were sold at cut throat prices. One of the women said to me ' everything has gone up, even the dollar'; I don’t know how the exchange rate affects the fish caught in Lagos waters by local fishermen but their wives are using that as an excuse to increase their prices in the market…. Nigeria!, we allow all sorts. But then again they are from Cotonou; which means whatever profit they make, a portion will be sent to their relatives at home and this is where I think the exchange rate comes to play. This is my layman explanation for sanity sake and it makes sense. hehehe

Lady fish - beautiful but looks bony. I prefer flesh

Lobster once for prisoners now for Kings, imagine that.

I always enjoy coming here; I would bring my two girls here during the next holiday as they are old enough to enjoy the sights and sounds. Like me, shopping is in their blood but I have to get ready for millions of questions especially from the younger one. You will find all sorts of fishes here; I spotted a baby shark today and lots of fishes that I often see on the National Geographic Channel like the famous Stingray that killed the popular Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. I can’t imagine eating that fish; probably because a similar one killed Steve Irwin and the thought turns me off completely and also because my palate is not so rich so trying new things can be very difficult.

Calamari... it tastes like prawns. I like this.

I spotted Calamari, Tiger Prawns, Shrimps, Crocker Fish, Red and Black Snapper, Baracuda, Catfish, Sea Crab, Sea Snails, Tilapia and so many that I have no idea what the English names are. When I ask the fishmongers they give me the Cotonou names and they sound so complicated I don't bother to retain it in my memory… hehehe.

Not all the women here sell fish, some wait in line to help clean the fish at the back of one of the bungalows in the compound near the smoking kiln. The smoking kiln is operated by the women; in fact I do not remember seeing any male in this market except the little boys and the men at the gate collecting parking fees.

Stingray - Steve Irwin made this popular.

The smoking area is where the deep freezers are also housed. The fishes are brought in fresh everyday and by end of the day they store the dead fishes in the freezer or smoke it in the kiln.

Smoking Kiln, the women are also in charge.

There are so many children and babies in this market. School is definitely not in the agenda. They are waiting to take over from their mothers or better still start their own business doing this same thing. There are some fishmongers here that I have known since they were just kids 10 years ago and now they own their own fish, prawn or crab basket. I enjoy patronizing those kids whenever I see them as I watched them grow. Some are married with little kids as well and the cycle continues. They are sometimes more aggressive than their parents and they drive a hard bargain too but all in all it is beautiful knowing their story.

Back room cleaning women

So this is my journey today, I will visit the Epe fish market soon and fill you in on the sights and sounds. I am from Epe, the fish market is just down the road from my family house but it is not somewhere I go frequently as it too far from my office; which will make the fish too expensive to sell to my customers.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Cheers,
@lagosshopping | @EasyshopLtd