We would like to highlight five recent articles published by members of Dried Fish Matters.
Implications of utilization shifts of marine fish in India: a macro‑level empirical analysis is a collaboration between multiple members of DFM lead authored by Prasanna Surathkal. Accepted in December 2022, the article analyzes structural changes in aquaculture production that suggest an increase in the ratio of fish-for-feed to fish for human consumption. Results from the analysis indicate that the fish meal and fish oil (FMFO) market gains are made likely at the cost of the dried fish segment.
Small Fish Consumption in Rural Myanmar disaggregates fish consumption data based on quantity, species, and size of fish eaten, a level of detailed analysis rarely achieved in governmental level food consumption surveys. A contribution by Dr. Rizaldo and Dr. Belton of World Fish and Wae Win Khaing, a PhD student at the University of Manitoba, the research found that women in the Ayeyarwady Region in Myanmar tend to consume larger amounts of small fish which may contain higher level of micronutrients.
A social wellbeing approach to the gendered impacts of fisheries transition in Gujarat, India was authored by Dr. Rajib Biswal, a post-doctoral fellow at Memorial University, and Dr. Johnson of University of Manitoba, uses a social wellbeing approach to look at the gendered livelihoods effects of 70 years of fisheries development in the town of Saiyad Rajpara, Gujarat. The move away from a local subsistence economy to a market-oriented economy led to material improvements, but a more mixed effects on the social and subjective wellbeing of the residents. On aggregate, women’s wellbeing has improved in comparison to men’s during this period.
A popular article published in The News Minute by our partners in Karnataka, Dr. Jyotishi, Prasanna Surathkal of Azim Premji Foundation, and Dr. Bhatta of Snehakunja Trust highlights the effects of investments in private and large-scale fish production and the ever-increasing encroachment on the livelihoods of small-scale fish producers and processors. The article explains three areas of encroachment: development of ports and eco-tourism areas as physical space dispossession; underrepresentation in policy development as political and legal dispossessions; and finally, increasing focus on fishmeal production as livelihood dispossession.
Gendered dimensions of social wellbeing within dried fish value chains: insights from Sri Lanka is the latest publication in Dried Fish Matters. The publication, led by Dr. Galappaththi, looks at a central question in DFM, specifically on the subjective, relational, and material wellbeing contribution of the dried fish value chain. The research argued that these value chains are especially important in contributing to the wellbeing of marginalized people, especially women.
References by order of appearance
Surathkal, P., Jyotishi, A., Bhatta, R., Scholtens, J., Johnson, D., Mondal, G., & Gupta, P. (2023). Implications of utilization shifts of marine fish in India: a macro‑level empirical analysis. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09752-5
Rizaldo, Q. V., Khaing, W. W., & Belton, B. (2023). Small fish consumption in rural Myanmar. Maritime Studies, 22(13). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00304-6
Biswal, R., & Johnson, D. S. (2023). A social wellbeing approach to the gendered impacts of fisheries transition in Gujarat, India. Maritime Studies, 22. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00299-0
Jyotishi, A., Surathkal, P., & Bhatta, R. (2023, April 13). Tragedy of the commons: In Karnataka, small-scale fishers are losing their foothold. The News Minute. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tragedy-commons-karnataka-small-scale-fishers-are-losing-their-foothold-175830
Galappaththi, M., N. Weeratunge, D. Armitage, and A.M. Collins. “Gendered Dimensions of Social Wellbeing within Dried Fish Value Chains: Insights from Sri Lanka.” Ocean and Coastal Management 240 (June 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106658.