Improved method of selling fish at the wholesale market at Mercedes. The fish are displayed on an insulated ice table. - - General: General. Fish provides a substantial part of the Filipino diet, and fishing constitutes one of the country's most important industries. Traditional preserving methods are still generally used in the cleaning, salting and drying of fish for market. However, better handling methods and improved hygiene would be beneficial. In some cases ice is now used to keep fish catches fresh for immediate home consumption. A proportion of fish and poultry is commercially frozen and marketed for export. FAO, in conjunction with the Philippine Government, has produced an instructional filmstrip on better ways of local fish storage and improved hygiene in fish marketing.