Why is dry-salted fish widely used in warm humid places with limited refrigeration?

Dry-salted fish is widely used in warm, humid regions with limited refrigeration because the process effectively preserves the product by controlling water activity.12

In this method, fish are buried in salt, which draws out moisture and replaces it with salt. This process reduces the water content of the fish flesh from its natural 75–80 percent to approximately 50 percent, while increasing the salt content to about 25 percent. By reducing the available water, the process inhibits the growth of microorganisms and slows the enzymatic activity that otherwise causes rapid spoilage in high-temperature environments.1234

For "hard-cure" products, an additional step involving forced warm air further reduces water content to about 20 percent and increases salt concentration to 30 percent, providing even greater stability in climates where cold storage is unavailable. This reliance on chemical solutes and dehydration ensures the fish remains safe to consume without the need for constant low-temperature storage.14