Overview
This project aimed to improve the understanding and use of fish in national and regional food systems, and of fisheries and mariculture as a source of food, income and livelihoods for coastal communities.
Fish are crucial for the economic development and food security of coastal people and fishing communities, who are often among the poorest and most vulnerable in their countries and regions. While fisheries governance has attracted much attention, climate change, rising populations and fishing pressure will increasingly affect fisheries. The development of aquaculture brings benefits, but policy frameworks do not adequately capture who benefits from it or how. The sustained production of fish for nutrition and income is subject to many stressors including globalisation of trade, poor governance and planning in contested coastal zones, and increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
This project brought together three case studies that better placed fish in national and regional food systems, as a source or food in the aftermath of natural disasters, as a source of better nutrition, and as a source of income for coastal communities through pro-poor development of mariculture.