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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The African Great Lakes (AGL) are among the world’s most important freshwater ecosystems, supporting fisheries that employ over 5 million people. Women represent the majority of traders and processors of fish. Small fish species, particularly in dried form, dominate the market supply. Known as Dagaa, these small fish species constitute 75% of the catches from […]

In May 2024, Wae Win Khaing, a PhD candidate from Myanmar, participated in the 2024 Myanmar Emerging Scholars and Young Leaders Workshop at the University of British Columbia (UBC) from May 15 to 17, 2024. This workshop aimed to empower emerging leaders from Myanmar through sessions on theory-to-practice transformation, maximizing policy impact, and best practices […]
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, […]
Fresh and dried marine fish are deeply ingrained in the culture and traditions of Kerala, a coastal state in southern India. The state’s proximity to the Arabian Sea, along with its backwaters and numerous rivers, has historically provided abundant access to various fish. This working paper examines the importance of dried fish within the non-vegetarian […]
SPSAS 2024 (Photo credit: Colleen Cranmer) In April 2024, Colleen Cranmer, one of our dedicated researchers and a PhD candidate at the School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, attended the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Transdisciplinarity for Transformative Change (SPSAS). This intensive training workshop brought together 80 graduate students […]