Fisheries and Policy Implications for Human Nutrition
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FOOD, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT (D LOVE AND K NACHMAN, SECTION EDITORS)
Fisheries and Policy Implications for Human Nutrition Gabriel M. S. Vianna 1,2 & Dirk Zeller 1,2 & Daniel Pauly 3
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review This review brings together recent key research related to the role of fisheries as a source of nutrients to improve human health and discusses the implications of fisheries policy on food- and nutrient-security. Recent Findings Recent studies highlight the critical role of fisheries to support human nutrition, describing the nutrient composition of hundreds of species of fish, the global distribution of these fish, and the strategic role of fisheries in addressing micronutrient deficiencies. Summary In many developing regions and emerging economies, fisheries can address malnutrition with local supplies of critical nutrients such as fatty acids, zinc, iron, calcium, and vitamins, making these accessible to low-income populations. However, this local potential is jeopardized by overfishing, climate change, and international trade, which reduce the local availability of nutritious and affordable fish in low-income countries, where they are most needed. This calls for policy reforms that shift management focus of fisheries as a commodity provider to a domestic public health asset to ensure food- and nutrient-security. Keywords Food-security . Nutrient-security . Micronutrients . Fish consumption . Small-scale fisheries, large-scale fisheries . Industrial fisheries
Introduction Fish1 constitutes a major component of the diet of more than 3 billion people around the world, with per capita consumption increasing from around 9 kg/year in the 1960s to approximately 20 kg/year in 2017 [1•]. Due to the high nutritional value of fish, fisheries are increasingly regarded as a key element to address global nutritional deficiencies that lead to cognitive under-development, diseases, and deaths [2, 3, 4•]. In highincome countries, fish consumption has been promoted as a 1 In fisheries terminology, “fish” refers to all finfish and aquatic invertebrates that are caught in marine and freshwaters as part of fishing operations.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Food, Health, and the Environment
means to “healthier” diets and to battle chronic diseases, caused by diets full of low-quality nutrients and processed products [5•, 3]. However, the most critical contribution of fisheries to human health lies in low-income countries, where undernutrition affects around 13% of the population, leading to child under-development, deficiency in growth, and high mortality rates at all ages [5•]. In low-income countries, local fisheries are often the major source of essential nutrients to poor communities, which often cannot afford obtaining these from other sources [4•, 5•]. As such, empowering local sustainable fisheries and promoting access to fish have been identified as important pathways to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related to malnutri
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