The dynamics of seafood in the Indo-West Pacific: Understanding the composition of fish landings and consumption throughout the region.
Globally, 130 million people are dependent on fisheries for livelihoods, food and income (Cruz-Trinidad et al., 2014). In many countries throughout the Indo-West Pacific fish and fisheries have been noted as a major source in contributing to food security (Bell et al., 2009; Kawarazuka, 2010; Kawarazuka & Béné, 2011), providing many coastal communities with a viable source of protein and micronutrients (Hasselberg et al., 2020), along with supporting country economics, employment and income generation (Foale et al., 2013; Hall et al., 2013). Currently, the composition of fish caught throughout the Indo-West Pacific is largely understudied and documented. Understanding what groups of fish are being targeted is vital for the initiation of appropriate research and management to conserve stocks and ensure long term food security particularly as countries continue to face ongoing challenges to food security due to factors such as climate change, population growth, and overfishing. The aim of this project is to understand the composition of fish which local communities are landing and consuming throughout the Indo-West Pacific.
This will be accomplished through:
1) extensive literature review on what fish people are eating in various countries throughout the Indo-West Pacific
2) Through using photographic evidence gathered by in-country partners at fish markets throughout the Indo-West Pacific to investigate whether catches are predominantly consisting of reef fish, pelagic fish, deep sea fish or a combination of categories.
References:
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Cabral, R. B., & Geronimo, R. C. (2018). How important are coral reefs to food security in the Philippines? Diving deeper than national aggregates and averages. Marine Policy, 91, 136-141.
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Hall, S., Hilborn, R., Andrew, N., & Allison, E. (2013). Fish-more than just another commodity.
Hasselberg, A. E., Aakre, I., Scholtens, J., Overå, R., Kolding, J., Bank, M. S., Atter, A., & Kjellevold, M. (2020). Fish for food and nutrition security in Ghana: Challenges and opportunities. Global Food Security, 26, 100380. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100380
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