The Dried Fish Matters (DFM) project is pleased to share a new Master’s thesis by Aklima Akter – DFM Master’s student at the University of Manitoba. Aklima’s thesis focuses on the gender dynamics within the dried fish value chains of Teknaf, Bangladesh. This research highlights the dual role of women as economic contributors and victims of patriarchal exploitation. Women work long hours in processing sites, facing financial exploitation, unequal treatment, and social stigma. Additionally, patriarchal control over their mobility and exclusion from fishing-related policies perpetuates their marginalization in the industry.
Despite these challenges, the thesis also shows how women actively resist these patriarchal constraints. Through strategies such as forming unofficial associations and using symbolic acts like clothing choices and housing locations, female laborers negotiate for better conditions and challenge the systems of oppression they face. These everyday engagements reveal the evolving ways women assert their agency within the dried fish value chains of Teknaf.
DFM’s ongoing research in South and Southeast Asia highlights the critical importance of considering context, particularly in relation to women’s roles within the dried fish value chains. Aklima’s thesis enriches the growing body of literature contributed by DFM scholars, students, and researchers.
A new Maritime Studies paper titled Shoreline of Small Things: Contextualizing a Cultural Dimension of Dried Fish in the Indian Sundarbans, explores the cultural significance of dried fish production in Sagar Island in the Indian Sunderbans. Authors Raktima Ghosh, Jenia Mukherjee, Amrita Sen, and Anuradha Choudry highlight how fishing and drying practices are deeply embedded in local traditions, ecological knowledge, and community relations. Using the framework of new cultural geography, the authors highlight how dried fish production is shaped by material practices (fishing techniques, drying methods, and cooperative networks) and symbolic meanings (rituals, values, and social relations). They argue that the cultural significance of dried fish is often overlooked in fisheries governance, which increasingly prioritizes commercialization and export-oriented policies.
Photo credits: Raktima Ghosh
The study underscores how modern fisheries policies, focused on commercialization and mechanized fishing, threaten small-scale dried fish economies by marginalizing traditional practices and restricting access to fish drying spaces. With younger generations seeking alternative livelihoods, these cultural traditions face an uncertain future. The research, part of the Dried Fish Matters (DFM) project, calls for policies that recognize and protect the social and ecological relationships sustaining dried fish production. Read the full paper here.
The Dried Fish Matters (DFM) team, represented by Dr. Derek Johnson, DFM Project Director and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Manitoba (UM), and Jessie Varquez, DFM student and PhD candidate in anthropology at UM, participated in the First Philippines Small-Scale Fisheries National Symposium (PSSFNS). Held from October 16-18, 2024, at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) in Iloilo City, the symposium was organized by Too Big To Ignore (TBTI) Philippines and chaired by Professor Alice Joan Ferrer of UPV, who also serves as Executive Director of TBTI Philippines.
The symposium brought together around 600 participants, including fishers, academics, researchers, artists, advocates, NGO workers, students, government officials, and other stakeholders in small-scale fisheries (SSF). Plenary sessions covered insights from fisherfolk, fisheries managers, NGOs, development partners, and scientists. Seven themes structured the parallel sessions, focusing on inland and marine SSF, SSF management and governance, SSF economics, socio-cultural aspects of SSF, SSF resilience to climate change, gender in SSF, and SSF technology and innovation. The program also featured special sessions on post-harvest topics, a book launch, and discussions on the Philippine National Plan of Action for SSF Guidelines, along with poster presentations and student and vlog competitions.
Dr. Johnson’s presentation, titled “Moving Downstream in Small-Scale Fisheries Research: Dried Fish in Asia,” was co-authored with Jessie Varquez and aligned with the SSF economics theme. He discussed a shift in social science research on SSF that reorients focus from harvesting to downstream segments of the fisheries value chain. The presentation posed a central question: What does this shift imply for the concept of SSF, and how does it redefine production not merely as extraction but as processing and trade?
Highlighting the DFM project as an example of this downstream focus, Dr. Johnson emphasized the themes of rootedness, relationships, and craft. He illustrated these ideas through the case of boneless danggit (dried rabbitfish) from the central Philippines. The presentation argued that, by challenging the conventional notion of “small” in downstream SSF, it becomes clear that SSF is, in fact, complex and, indeed, “too big to ignore.”
Dr. Derek Johnson (Photo credits: Jessie Varquez)
Jessie Varquez presented a part of his ongoing dissertation research titled “Punot (Fish Corrals) as Enduring Structures in the Coastal Fisheries of Bantayan Island,” co-authored with Dr. Derek Johnson. This presentation, featured in the panel on technology and innovation in small-scale fisheries (SSF), examined the vital role of fish corrals—an ancient fishing technology in Southeast Asia—through the case study of Bantayan Island in the Philippines. The presentation framed punot, the local term for fish corrals in Bantayan, as enduring structures for two primary reasons. Spatially, punot are significant due to the sheer number installed across intertidal flats and reef edges, shaping both navigation and fishing practices along the coast. Socially, they endure through the knowledge, materials, and practices that deeply influence the lives of coastal communities. Punot’s importance goes beyond immediate food security for coastal communities, extending to the downstream activities of dried fish processing, which involve a network of actors—especially women and children in these households.In highlighting punot as essential and enduring structures, Jessie concluded that they, too, are “too big to ignore.”
Jessie Varquez presenting his research (Photo credits: Girlie Fariola)
Reflecting on his participation at the symposium as part of DFM Philippines, here’s what Jessie said: “Participating in this conference is momentous and enriching, not just for me but also for DFM. It’s a milestone because we participated in the first-ever national symposium on small-scale fisheries in the Philippines. We were enriched not only in meeting researchers with the same enthusiasm and interests for small-scale fisheries but also in interacting with conference participants from diverse orientations. I also think that DFM has positioned itself as a potential collaborator and knowledge hub in the ecology of Philippine small-scale fisheries research and networks.”
Aside from his panel presentation, Dr Derek Johnson also spoke at the opening program of the conference, where he represented TBTI Global and delivered the message on behalf of Professor Ratana Chuenpagdee, the TBTI Director. For representing TBTI Global, Derek was presented with a painting depicting SSF as a token of gratitude. In return, Derek has also furnished a copy of Dried Fish Matters: Exploring the Social Economy of Dried Fish, a key book publication of the DFM project, to the conference organizers.
(Photo credits: University of Philippines Visayas)
As the DFM project moves into its Phase 2 work across South and Southeast Asia, we are committed to engaging in policy advocacy and outreach conversations, such as those at the TBTI Philippines Symposium. The work of DFM scholars and researchers like Jessie is crucial in amplifying the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within the dried fish economy in small-scale fisheries in the Philippines and the wider region.
Huan Sun, a DFM student, recently published her M.Sc. thesis titled “Nutritional Composition of Dried Fishes from Bangladesh and Functional Properties of their Protein Isolates.” Her research provides valuable insights into the nutritional profile and potential applications of dried fish in Bangladesh. Huan conducted her Master’s research under the supervision of Dr. Rotimi Aluko from the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Her thesis examining committee included Dr. Derek Johnson from the Department of Anthropology and Dr. Alphonsus Utioh from Food and Human Nutritional Sciences. Huan successfully defended her thesis on May 8, 2024.
Huan’s research investigated seven different species of dried fish collected from Cox’s Bazar, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet. Key findings reveal that the White Sardine (Escualosa thoracata) and Ganges River Sprat (Corica soborna) are promising protein sources, containing over 75% protein and high levels of essential amino acids, including beneficial omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. Both species are also rich in vitamin B12, making them excellent options for addressing nutritional deficiencies. However, challenges such as elevated heavy metal levels and high cholesterol content in some species—particularly the Ganges River Sprat—raise concerns about consumer safety. In her research, Huan also explored the functional properties of dried fish protein isolates (DFPIs) from Dhaka. The study found that these isolates exhibited excellent solubility, heat stability, and emulsifying properties, indicating their potential use as food ingredients in the industry.
This thesis research is a significant contribution to DFM’s Working Group 2 (Food and Nutrition Security) and supports the ongoing Phase 2 efforts of the DFM Bangladesh team to address dried fish contamination and safety challenges through public policy advocacy. Additionally, the findings add to the growing body of evidence regarding the potential of dried fish to enhance nutrition security in Bangladesh, where it is a vital part of the diet.
We asked Huan about her experience conducting this research as part of the DFM project and her thoughts on its impact. Here’s what she shared:
“My hometown is a small inland city. Being far from the ocean, I’ve had very few opportunities to learn about dried fish. Working with Dried Fish Matters has given me a new understanding of the importance of dried fish beyond my own culture. There are many types of dried fish, and their preparation and consumption exhibit both commonalities and unique characteristics across different cultures. As I’ve learned more about dried fish, I’ve come to see that it is not only a representation of distinct civilizations but also a crucial solution to the ‘invisible hunger’ prevalent among the poor.
A significant number of consumers in developing regions like South Asia, India, and Africa rely on dried fish, especially poorer populations. The iron, calcium, zinc, and essential amino acids found in dried fish are nutrients they urgently need. However, the controversial production environment raises concerns about food safety. Water pollution, pests, microbial infections, and the misuse of veterinary drugs overshadow dried fish’s reputation as a nutritious food. My thesis addresses these concerns by investigating the nutritional value and pollutant composition of dried fish. As a food science student with a sense of social responsibility, I hope my research contributes to finding solutions for safe and scientifically-based nourishment for disadvantaged communities.”
Huan will remain an integral part of the Dried Fish Matters project as she embarks on her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Rotimi Aluko at the University of Manitoba. Her Master’s thesis, along with her ongoing PhD research, plays a crucial role in advancing DFM’s mission to assess the nutritional value of dried fish and elevate its importance in promoting nutritional security and well-being.
Huan’s thesis has been published and is available here.
Jessie Varquez, a DFM student and PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Manitoba, presented a paper titled “Becoming Boneless Danggit (Siganus spp.), or Why Dried Rabbitfish is Distinctly Delicious on Bantayan Island, the Philippines” at the “Diets and Local Food Systems in Asia” workshop. Hosted by the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National University of Singapore, the event took place on September 12-13, 2024. The workshop, which was open to the public, was conducted both onsite and online. It featured six panels: (1) Different Types of Markets, (2) Preserving Diets in Industrial Food Systems, (3) Food Security in Asia, (4) Local Knowledge and Collaborations, (5) Local Cuisines in Global Context, and (6) Materiality and Technology in Food Systems. Seventeen presenters from diverse disciplinary and international backgrounds contributed papers. Dr. Shumeng Li and Associate Professor Jamie S. Davidson from ARI’s new Food, Politics, and Society cluster organized the workshop. The organizers are aiming for a special journal issue out of the paper presentations.
The workshop speakers and organizers (Photo credit: ARI-NUS)
Boneless danggit is the market name for dried rabbitfish (Siganus spp.) that is split-open, gutted, deboned, salted, and dried. In his presentation, Jessie noted that boneless danggit has increasingly become popular in Philippine foodways, not only on the Filipino plate but also in the tourism and hospitality industries that cater to foreign nationals. He shared that throughout his fieldwork, boneless danggit from Bantayan is claimed to be “lain da” (distinct). Boneless danggit is marketed in big markets and online shops using Bantayan as a desirable label for quality and delicious dried fish. While boneless danggit is produced elsewhere in the Philippines, there appears to be a clamor that the boneless danggit from Bantayan is distinctly delicious.
Through an assemblage perspective, Jessie argued that the distinctly delicious taste associated with Bantayan boneless danggit is not just a socially constructed gastronomic experience but is grounded in the material, relational, and ecological contexts where it was produced. By discussing disparate but interlinked assemblage elements such as fishing technologies, salt, skills, artisanship, tidal flats, seagrasses, and coastal governance, among others, Jessie explored knowledge, values, and power to understand why the boneless danggit produced in Bantayan is lain da or distinctly delicious.
Jessie presenting his paper at the workshop (Photo credit: Jessie Varquez)
Reflecting on his experience at the ARI workshop, Jessie said, “The workshop at ARI has allowed me to present key findings of my dissertation research and offered an opportunity to network with other scholars who explore various topics on food and diet in Asia. I also received substantial questions and feedback after my presentation, which, to my mind, was an indicator of growing interest in dried fish research.” Jessie’s paper is an aspect of his ongoing dissertation work as part of the Dried Fish Matters project. In his work, he broadly examines human-rabbitfish relations on Bantayan Island with a particular focus on boneless danggit.
A recent review article published in Nature Food explores how post-harvest aquatic food processing technologies affect gender equality and social justice. The study emphasizes that many of these technologies disproportionately impact women in the seafood sector, who are often involved in labour-intensive roles like fish drying and cleaning. While new technologies can improve food quality and safety, they risk reinforcing gender inequalities unless social and cultural factors are addressed. To ensure equitable benefits, gender-sensitive policies are crucial for supporting women’s contributions and rights in aquatic food systems.
Women dried fish labourers in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (Image: Mahfuzar Rahman)
The findings of the Nature Food study align closely with the work of Dried Fish Matters, particularly within its Working Group 1 (Gender and Social Economy) and Working Group 3 (Policy, Governance, and Development). DFM’s social economy perspective emphasizes the need for gender-sensitive approaches to support women’s labour in the dried fish sector and advocate for equitable policies that address social justice and gender equality issues.
For more details, you can access the full review article here.
The Dried Fish Matters (DFM) team participated in the IIFET 2024 Conference on “Aquatic Food Systems in the Blue Economy,” held from July 15-19 in Penang, Malaysia. In line with the conference theme, DFM hosted a special session titled “The Economic Worlds of Dried Fish.” This session featured three presentations that explored various aspects of DFM’s work, including case studies on dried fish in South and Southeast Asia. The session brought together DFM research teams from these regions and delved into the complexities of the dried fish economy through engaging presentations.
Dr. Nikita Gopal opened the session by setting the stage for the discussions, providing an overview of the panel’s major themes. These included DFM’s social economy approach, the gendered dimensions of dried fish value chains, and the economics of dried fish consumption.
Next, Raktima Ghosh, Jessie Varquez, and Dr. Dilanthi Koralagama presented on “Heterodox Views on the Economy of Dried Fish in South and Southeast Asia.” Their presentation highlighted the social economy concept as a heterodox view and how it has theoretically and methodologically shaped DFM’s work. Raktima discussed both orthodox and heterodox economic approaches, focusing on the social economy. Jessie introduced the Assemblage perspective, using boneless danggit fish from the Philippines to illustrate how various economic and social factors combine to influence the economy. Dr. Dilanthi then examined the role of the social economy within the dried fish sector, showing how these perspectives contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the dried fish economies.
The next presentation, by Colleen Cranmer and Dr. Kyoko Kusakabe, addressed gender issues in dried fish economies with their talk titled “Gendered Worlds of Dried Fish in South and Southeast Asia.” They explored how gender impacts the political economy of dried fish, focusing on feminist commodity chain analysis and intersectionality. Colleen shared a case study from Cambodia that highlighted the significant role of gender in shaping rural livelihoods and emphasized the importance of incorporating gender considerations into economic analyses of the dried fish economy.
Sami Farook and Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi followed with a presentation on the nutrition and economics of dried fish consumption in South Asia. They shared findings from a value chain analysis in Bangladesh and consumer surveys from Bangladesh and India. Their results highlighted the contribution of dried fish to nutrition and discussed its broader economic implications, offering a comprehensive view of the sector’s impact on both health and economy.
To conclude, Dr. Holly Hapke and Dr. Tara Nair provided commentary on the presentations and summarized DFM’s social economy approach to dried fish economies, including feminist commodity chain analysis. Dr. Nair also emphasized the importance of viewing dried fish as a cultural commodity—where its value extends beyond material utility. She explained that the social economy approach is crucial for understanding the dried fish sector, which often remains invisible in economic analyses due to factors like informality, precarity, and gendered social and economic relations.
Dried Fish Matters team at the IIFET 2024 Conference.
The IIFET 2024 also provided an opportunity for DFM PhD students working in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and the Philippines to present their ongoing research alongside other researchers and scholars. Here’s what they had to say about their IIFET experience and how it added value to their current research:
“Regarding my experience at the conference, I focused on attending presentations that might give me new insights into my own work on gender and value chains. Some key questions that sparked my interest are, with the certification of fish products, are women losing their agency in the value chain? As products and activities in aquaculture become more lucrative do men dominant these spaces and push women out of certain nodes? One idea that was emphasized was to have more interaction between actors in the value chains, particularly in regards to what actors need from each other (for example, the benefits of putting fish on ice). What I enjoyed most was taking these questions and ideas and applying them to my own research context, and thinking through the conflicts and similarities. Considering why or how these other case studies could or could not be applicable in the Cambodia dried fish value chain is a good exercise for me as I start the analysis and writing phase of my research.”
– Colleen Cranmer (PhD candidate, The University of Ottawa)
“The IIFET conference was an enriching experience. It boosted my confidence in pursuing heterodox views on the social economy of dried fish and instilled inspiration to continue our work in DFM, which has scholarly importance and practical implications. For sure, there were orthodox agendas set by economists and other ‘hard’ sciences such as modelling, valuation, and ecosystem accounting, among many others. But notably heterodox approaches were also tackled head on, with topics ranging from wellbeing, food security, equity, gender, and governance, among others. Our little DFM session on heterodoxy in dried fish economies has thus echoed in many other session presentations at the conference.”
– Jessie Varquez (PhD candidate, The University of Manitoba)
“Participating in the IIFET (2024) conference was an enriching experience for me as it brought to the table wide-ranging aspects and approaches to look at fisheries around the world. To me, the DFM panel was about drawing the attention of the researchers towards a kind of context that speaks plurality, not just in terms of the very nature of ‘social economy’ that we focused on, but also in the ways of thinking about it, understanding it and interpreting it. The panel was filled with productive discussions on certification or quality control programs, environmental damages and consequent migration of women fish processors and social economy’s visibility in policy circle. Noting the key points from the case studies prompted me to ponder on my own findings and compare the factors that play out differently across cases.”
– Raktima Ghosh (PhD candidate, Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur)
“Most notable for me was the commentaries provided by Dr. Holly Hapke and Dr. Tara Nair on my presentation. Dr. Hapke stated that the nutrition presentation shed light on complexity of consumption through the political economy of consumption. The work delved deep into consumption patterns and behaviour, and linked it to production and prices, discussing who gets to eat which dried fish, and how it is produced by processors and prepared by consumers. Usually, such value research is limited to production data and up to the retailer segment, and we have no idea what happens to the fish or fish product once it leaves the retailer. Dr. Nair noted that the presentation showed the link between production, nutrition and poverty. Particularly it looked into quantity consumed, which is an important factor in nutrition security. On the contrary, most consumer research tends to look into number of times a food item is eaten in a week or weeks. Such encouraging feedback from the pioneer researchers gave me the confidence that our work is on the right track and further motivated me to articulate the findings in research articles.”
– Sami Naim Farook (PhD candidate, The University of Manitoba)
