Fishing and food security

Fish trading involves the buying and selling of fish and fish products within and outside a country.

It could be done on a small or large scale, depending on the capacity of the trader. Food security on the other hand is the safeguarding of consumable food from exploitation. In the global fish trade, it has been found that large volumes of fish are exported from poorer countries to richer ones. This trade can of course affect food security in different ways for different parties, depending on the particular local circumstances. In assessing the impacts of fish trading on food security, it is imperative to distinguish between the impacts of workers in the industry and their communities on the general population and on the poor, in particular, who are the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

The benefits of fish trading are likely to be enjoyed primarily by those who are already well off. The poor may benefit, but they may also be hurt. At times, the harm may be quite direct, as when fish on which they had depended on for their diet is diverted to overseas markets. At times the impacts may be indirect, as when export-oriented fisheries deplete or otherwise harm fisheries that had traditionally been used to provide for local consumption. Export-oriented fisheries may divert resources such as labor and capital away from production for local consumption. Fish workers may benefit from new export-oriented fisheries if they participate in them, but in some cases these workers are simply displaced from their traditional livelihoods.

In The Gambia, however, human rights to adequate food is well articulated. With this, the central government with its partner agencies are showing respect, protection and are working to fulfil the right of the people to adequate food. This means that public agencies that oversee the management of fisheries, including the fish trade, are obligated to ensure that these activities contribute to the achievement of food security, especially for those who are most vulnerable to malnutrition.

To this end, it would be useful for communities to provide guidance on how this can be done. The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries could be depended on to provide this guidance, giving particular attention to the impact of the fish trade on food security. International trade in fish products, like other kinds of trade, is sometimes assumed to benefit all who are involved, but there are conditions in which it can have negative impacts, including increasing food insecurity. In some cases, the fish trade can make a substantial positive contribution to food security. The human right to adequate food, articulated with increasing clarity over the last decade, can point the way to addressing these concerns.

Source: Daily Observer