Category: News

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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) 

A recent study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis underscores the significant nutritional potential of dried small fish species from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. The research, titled “Nutrient Composition of Dried Marine Small Fish in Bangladesh and Their Potential to Address Hidden Hunger,” focuses on seven local fish species: chapila, chewa, faissa, ichre, loittya, mola, and olua. The study reveals that consuming just 10 grams of dried fish powder from these species can meet 100% of the recommended nutrient intake for protein, calcium, selenium, and vitamin B12 for children aged 6–23 months, and serves as an important nutrient source for pregnant or lactating women.

Previous studies in Bangladesh have shown that small fish like mola can enhance iron and vitamin A status among children. However, the presence of bones in traditionally cooked small fish poses a challenge for young children. To address this, the study highlights the potential of using fish powder as a solution. Incorporating fish and fish-based products such as smashed fish, powdered fish, and chutney into children’s diets can effectively address micronutrient deficiencies.

At Dried Fish Matters, we are dedicated to raising awareness about the nutritional benefits of dried fish. This study adds significant value to our advocacy efforts, providing important evidence to support policies and programs that promote the safe and sustainable consumption of dried fish to address nutritional security challenges. For more details, you can access the full study here.