Research team midterm activity summaries

These activity summaries were provided by the DFM Research Teams as part of the project Mid-Term Reporting exercise.

DFM Sri Lanka

Consulted Additional Directors and Fisheries Inspectors of 15 Fisheries Districts (n= 30) and gathered preliminary data on dried fish processing and trading to prepare the key zone identification report (for Prof Oscar Amarasinghe). Analyzed available policy documents related to dried fish production and products. Conducted a thorough literature review extracting archival information from National Archives. Conducted a Questionnaire survey (n=350) to assess dried fish consumption and buying behaviour. Histamine analysis and nutritional analysis were conducted for selected (major) 10 dried fish types. Interview guides were prepared with the support and guidance of Dr Nireka Weeratunge. In-depth interviews were conducted from 14 sites covering South, West, North-west, Uva, North-central. and North provinces including processors, wholesalers and retailers. Total number of interviews is 128. Two inland dried fish processing sites were selected to capture information on inland dried fish industry as well. Two qualitative workshops were conducted inviting Dr Nireka Weeratunge as the resource person (qualitative data collection methods and Qualitative data analysis procedure). Covid-19 thwart field work in Jaffna and Trincomalle. However, the team is conducting interviews through a third party (who resides in those areas), via Whatsapp. Developed GIS maps for dried fish processing and consumption using primary data and secondary data. New partnerships were identified especially with community based fisheries/dried fish federation, Ministry of Fisheries, and other Dried fish institutions. One important observation noted through field work is that entirely wholesale markets or entirely retail markets are not functioning in Sri Lanka but a mixture. Wholesalers also doing retailing, processors also doing wholesaling and retailing. Despite the dried fish production and number of producers have been expanded within last decade, the dried fish supply chain/value chain has not been upgraded nor well managed. Value addition in the industry is lacking.

DFM Karnataka

We have undertaken 5 major activities and a few smaller activities during the project period. These include: 1. Sample Survey among the dried fish processors in three phases considering seasonality: The activity included questionnaire development, expert and processor consultation, training of enumerators, piloting and administration of survey. The Survey used stratified random sampling across 9 major landing sites of Karnataka having 30X9= 270 respondents surveyed in 3 periods of time. The survey is now completed. 2. Mapping of fish markets in coastal and hinterlands of Karnataka. About 26 dried fish markets were observed and notes were developed for each market, that provides a schematic understanding of dried fish value chain and preference & availability of species. 3. A paper on utilization shift due to the threats from fishmeal industry presented at MARE. It is in the final stage of submission to a journal. 4. Qualitative interview with the women dried fish processors and traders is in progress to understand the meaning of dried fish for them, their vulnerability and challenges. This is just in the preliminary stage. Expected number of interviews 30. Done 3. 5. Understanding weights and measurements in the dried fish value chain. Dat collection is going on. A reflection paper is planned for the e-book.

DFM West Bengal

January - We conducted a pilot survey encompassing informal onsite conversations, transect walk, seven focus group discussions and three key informant interviews with members at the Panchayat office and our GRO partners to get a preliminary understanding on fishing, fish drying activities and the geography of the Indian Sundarbans Delta (ISD). February – Secondary literature (journal articles, books, policy documents, reports) on dried fish research in Bengal and India was uploaded to DFM Zotero library. Other academic articles, books and reports on regional and global contexts were accessed from different sources and assorted on the basis of Zotero tags. March – Our second fieldwork plan had to be terminated due to abrupt outbreak of Covid-19 second wave in India. We focused our attention to developing connectivity with our NGO partners - Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum (DMF) and Sundarban Jana Sramjibi Manch (SJSM). April – Rounds of interviews we had with our NGO partners (secretary, lead field investigator and other members) at their Kolkata office. We accessed unpublished data (in the form of reports, newspaper clips, etc.) in the NGO repository against special permission. The discussion was crucial in terms of understanding policy decrees and the role of these NGOs in tracing out the situational complexities within fish drying operations in the study areas. May – A thorough synthesis of historical as well as contemporary narratives and information was done based on secondary literature, field documents and compiled data gathered from the NGO office. We started developing the theoretical-methodological design attuned to our expertise and overall project rationale. June – The Scoping Report-01 was developed with contributions from our team members. July & August – Multiple revisions of the report were done as per review comments and subsequently, we submitted the pre-final version of the report. September — A more compact version of the Scoping Report-01 comprising tentative month-wise, step-by-step research activities/components has been submitted. We have also developed specific methodological-execution strategies to materialize each subcomponent within our planned research activities. This includes shoestring fieldwork mapping (days to be spent, sample size of structured interviews, questions/mechanisms for qualitative research, budgetary details etc.) in specific sites within study areas (ISD and Medinipur).

DFM Gujarat

We undertook rapid scoping surveys in four marine locations (Jafrabad, Veraval, Mangrol, Okha) and detailed scoping of one (Kutch). We also made an exposure visit to a village where fresh water fishing and fish drying is practiced. In all 57 interviews were conducted with processors, traders and wholesalers . The exercise had to be delayed because of COVID 19 and the prolonged lock-down that was introduced in Gujarat. Apart from meeting processors and others who are directly linked to the dried fish sector, we could also establish linkages with faculty members/scientists of the College of Fisheries, Junagadh Agricultural University and CIFT, Veraval. The scoping exercise helped us understand the size and structure of dried fish processing in the state and the relationships that underlie the transactions between various elements in the dried fish value chain.

DFM Andhra Pradesh

A significant part of the research work of the Andhra Pradesh team has been carried out during 2020-21, and the report writing is in progress. At first, we analyzed data that the Centre for Economic and Social Studies had already collected to understand the seasonality of production, disposal, and processing of fish across various districts in Andhra Pradesh. We also analyzed the trends in production, export and import of fish and fish products, including dried fish using available secondary data. In-depth field studies in Andhra Pradesh followed this. The surveys expected to start by April 2020 got seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. The surveys were carried out from November 2020 to April 2021 under challenging circumstances and slowly. We carried out about 124 interviews, comprising of processors (54), boat owners (25), labour (24), retailers (12), wholesalers (9) from four fishing harbours/districts such as Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Vishakhapatnam and Nizampatnam, covering 16 villages. Many of the respondents were performing more than one role. The interviews were in the local language, Telugu and translation of interview scripts to English has been completed. The pandemic again slowed down the research progress as the Co-applicant / AP Principal investigator tested Covid 19 positive and had post-Covid health issues requiring hospitalization and was on extended leave from office. The report writing has resumed now and is in progress.

DFM Thailand

The Thai DFM team has conducted a series of activities in the first half of the project. During the first year (2018), we compiled and reviewed relevant literature and added it to Zotero. We had a couple of meetings with our partner, the Thai Department of Fisheries, to update on the research and to acquire fisheries statistics and other data and documents not available on the government website. The research team also made initial visits to one of the main wholesale markets near Bangkok, as well as a few local markets in the suburbs of Bangkok, in order to scan the products. We had informal chat with people involved in various aspects of dried fish fisheries and the value chain during these visits. This was part of our effort to collect background information to help plan for the scoping study. Due to the diversity of dried fish products in Thailand, we felt the need to visit production sites and markets in the coastal areas. Thus, in August 2019, we went on a ‘pre-scoping’ trip and visited four provinces along the Gulf of Thailand, where fisheries are prominent. This trip was very helpful in determining the direction for our research, including what products to focus. We decided that a “rapid appraisal” approach to study dried fish in Thailand would be a useful way to capture the diversity of the products and to learn about issues and challenges facing the sector. We started doing this in the late 2019, by visiting several wholesale and retail markets in and around Bangkok. The field research activity was halted in 2020 due to Covid-19, but the review research continued. We were able to conduct research online as we scanned online outlets selling dried fish, which were quite a few. In 2021, we resumed our activities, such as visiting wholesale and retail markets in Bangkok and the vicinities. We also took a 10-day trip to the south of Thailand, visiting this time the provinces on the Andaman Coast. During this research trip, we documented the dried fish products sold in markets, talked with people involved in dried fish fisheries and processing, including government officials, and visited several processing plants, and taste testing of the products.

DFM Bangladesh

TBA