Response to the Committee on World Food Security High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security
and Nutrition Zero Draft report on The Role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food
Security and Nutrition
General Comments
This report will provide a welcome contribution to the global food security debate and a broader
appreciation of the role of fish in FNS. There is general agreement that fish can play a greater role in
providing for a food secure future. In order for that to happen the dominant narrative around fish
needs to shift. This report is a welcome move in the right direction.
Below we provide some comments and references that may be of interest (see also appended pdfs).
The report is an early draft and needs a great deal of editing; as a result we have not offered any
copy editing comment. Particular care will need to be taken in future versions of this document to
make the referencing more comprehensive. Cite original data sources and or citations for empirical
papers, opinion pieces and synthetic reviews in the text and figures/tables (e.g. Figures 3.3 and 3.4).
Specific Comments
Chapter 3
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The paper deals extensively with the many pathways for improved nutrition. It also takes
into consideration the current literature and debate on the linkages between agriculture and
nutrition, and in particular the role of fish as an animal-source food of multiple macro-and
micronutrients for nutrient contribution to vulnerable population groups, in particular
women and young children. The text may benefit from an expanded introduction to ‘why
people eat fish’.
The contribution to nutrient requirements and health benefits are presented in a very
convincing manner, but it could be argued that it is more bullish than the scientific evidence
can really bear.
The report should make more of the role of fish as a source of micronutrients in the
complementary food of children from the age of 24 months.
Special mention should be made of the special role of dried fish in the diets of the poor and
“hard to reach” population groups, as well as food safety issues regarding processing (e.g.
use of contaminants and excess salt).
Pg 17: The issue of heavy metal content in large fishes is given only cursory mention. The
impact of mercury in tuna is an issue that continues to claim consumer attention in
developed country markets and should be discussed in more detail.
Figure 3.1 is difficult to follow and appears to be of limited value as a heuristic tool for
conceptualizing pathways in the use of fish
Pg 24 and onward: The ‘fish for cash’ section is poorly developed and omits reference to a
large literature on the local trade of fish
Pg 29: The ‘Fisheries Crisis’ section is poorly developed and does not adequately represent a
complex and heterogeneous literature
More needs to be made of the geographic differences in the supply and utilization of fish.
For example, (i) in 2008, Dey et al. reported that about 61% of the world supply of fish
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comes from Asia where a large proportion is consumed domestically. The paper also noted
that as per capita income and population grow in most Asian countries, there will be
tremendous increases in fish demand that are expected to come mostly from the poorer
sector of the economy.; (ii) FAO has previously reported that China is increasing its demand
for fish and may have implications in global fish supply and consumption – this needs to be
teased out, (iii) obesity and diabetes are rapidly becoming a major heath issue in some
Pacific countries – the role of fish and the changes in diet adoption of western diets needs to
be highlighted. As these simple examples highlight, there are many geographic differences
in the supply and use of fish – there can therefore be no global prescriptions for the better
use of fish in improving nutrition and food security.
Rather surprisingly, climate change rates barely a mention. Climate change will change the
availability of fish, and change the distribution of supply and consumption. Analyses of the
implications of CC on the role of fish in FNS would be welcome. This should be developed.
Some references are noted below or appended as pdfs.
Chapter 4
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The inclusion of a gender focus is welcome and the text comprehensive. Please find
attached documentation of a recent consultation on social relations and food and nutrition
security organized by FAO (http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/networks-forFS) . Even though it is not specifically focused on fisheries and aquaculture, it gives some
good insights into the gender relations-nutrition nexus.
Chapter 5
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Page 74, lines 14 – 20. The argument against the prevailing IUU narrative as one that
characterizes small-scale fishers as “roving bandits” seems rather gratuitous. IUU debates
certainly focus on high seas fisheries, but to argue by extension that the IUU label is also
demonizing small-scale fisheries seems a stretch.
Chapter 8
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Mention might be made here of the value of rapid restoration and re-stocking of small-scale
aquaculture ponds following natural disasters. Following the tsunami in Aceh, this was a
rapid way to establish a cash and food generating activity in the months following the
immediate humanitarian relief efforts. Re-establishing gardens and crop production took
much longer.
Some references that may be of use (see also some attached pdfs)
Allison, E. H., A. L. Perry, M. C. Badjeck, W. N. Adger, K. Brown, D. Conway, A. S. Halls, G. M. Pilling, J.
D. Reynolds, N. L. Andrew, and N. K. Dulvy. 2009. Vulnerability of national economies to the
impacts of climate change on fisheries. Fish and Fisheries 10:173-196.
Badjeck, M.-C., E. H. Allison, A. S. Halls, and N. K. Dulvy. 2010. Impacts of climate variability and
change on fishery-based livelihoods. Marine Policy 34:375-383.
Bell, J. D., C. Reid, M. J. Batty, P. Lehodey, L. Rodwell, A. J. Hobday, J. E. Johnson, and A. Demmke.
2013. Effects of climate change on oceanic fisheries in the tropical Pacific: implications for
economic development and food security. Climatic Change 119:199-212.
Beveridge MCM, Thilsted SH, Phillips MJ, Metian M, Troell M, Hall SJ (2013). Meeting the food and
nutrition needs of the poor: the role of fish and the opportunities and constraints emerging
from the rise of aquaculture. Journal of Fisheries Biology, 83, 1067-1084.
Branch, T. A., B. M. De Joseph, L. J. Ray, and C. A. Wagner. 2013. Impacts of ocean acidification on
marine seafood production. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 28:168-186.
Delgado, C L 2003 Rising consumption of meat and milk in developing countries has created a new
food revolution. Journal of Nutrition,133, 3907S-3910S.
Gallet, G. A. (2009). The demand for fish: a meta-analysis of the own-price elasticity. Aquaculture
Economics and Management 13, 235–245. doi: 10.1080/13657300903123985.
Kabahenda, M. K., Amega, R., Okalany, E., Husken, S. M. C. & Heck, S. (2012). Protein and
micronutrient composition of low-value fish products commonly marketed in the Lake
Victoria region. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 7, 521–526.
Leung, T. L. F., and A. E. Bates. 2013. More rapid and severe disease outbreaks for aquaculture at the
tropics: implications for food security. Journal of Applied Ecology 50:215-222.
Murshed-e-Jahan, K., Ahmed, M. & Belton, B. 2010. The impact of aquaculture development on food
security: lessons from Bangladesh. Aquaculture Research 41(4): 481-495.
Rae, A. N. 1998. The effects of expenditure growth and urbanization on food consumption in East
Asia: a note on animal products. Agriculture Economics, 18, 291–299.
Speedy, A. W. (2003). Global production and consumption of animal source foods. Journal of
Nutrition 133, 4048S–4053S.
Sumaila, U. R., W. W. L. Cheung, V. W. Y. Lam, D. Pauly, and S. Herrick. 2011. Climate change impacts
on the biophysics and economics of world fisheries. Nature Climate Change 1:449-456.
Thilsted SH (2013). Fish diversity and fish consumption in Bangladesh. In: J Fanzo, D Hunter, T Borelli,
F Mattei, eds. Diversifying Food and Diets: Using Agricultural Biodiversity to Improve
Nutrition and Health. Earthscan, London. pp 270-282.