About Dried Fish Matters

For many of the most vulnerable peoples of the South and Southeast Asia region, dried fish is of vital nutritional, economic, social, and cultural importance. Despite this, the diverse and complex economy that produces and distributes dried fish, and the threats to it, are all but invisible in research and policy. The Dried Fish Matters project brings an interdisciplinary team to address this major oversight.

The project director, Dr Derek Johnson and other key members of the project team, have been major contributors to the small but growing literature on the dried fish economy of South and Southeast Asia. That research has shown the historical, social and economic importance of dried fish. It has also highlighted urgent threats: ecological changes, industrial competition, and problems such as contamination and labour exploitation. The research also shows that the understanding of how the dried fish economy works has many gaps, particularly with regard to its social, historical, and cultural dimensions.

The project brings together a diverse team of researchers and practitioners who are expert on fish, food security, and livelihoods in South and Southeast Asia. The partnership has generated the first comparative and richly detailed study of the regional dried fish economy. This transdisciplinary effort has identified the overall contribution of dried fish to the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of the poor, and examined how production, exchange and consumption of dried fish may be improved to enhance the well-being of marginalized groups and actors in the dried fish economy.