For a social and economic standpoint fish drying will remain an important part of the rural economy. The present investigation was conducted to find out the economics of Digha khutiin coastal belt of West Bengal. The survey was done from September 2017 to April 2018. The study area was purposively selected and the total economics involved in this system was analyzed. Survey question schedule was made for the collection of data. Several species of coastal and marine dried fish like Harpodon nehereus, Trichiurus savala, prawns and crabs, Sardinella longiceps, Chirocentrus dorab, Polynemus indicus, Rastraliger kanagurta, Pama pama, Leognathus sp., Setipina phasa, Arius sp, Escualosa thoracataand Polynemus paradiseus etc. were commonly used for drying. Different types of businessmen are involved in the trading system like fish processor, Beparis, Aratdars, Wholesalers, and Retailers etc. The price of dried marine fish varies with the size, availability, quality of the fish species. The study revealed that the dry fish industry can made it a major contributor in earning foreign exchange for our country and at the same time play a crucial role to the employment generation and socio-economic upliftment of a major portion of coastal rural fisher folk.

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