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FAO Fisheries Circular No. 1033
Present and future markets for fish and fish products from small-scale fisheries – case studies from Asia,
Africa and Latin America.
by
INFOFISH
Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services
for Fishery Products in the Asia and Pacific Region
INFOPÊCHE
Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Cooperation Services for
Fish Products in Africa
INFOSA
Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for the Fisheries Industry in Southern
Africa
INFOPESCA
Centre for Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fish Products in Latin America
and the Caribbean
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FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome 2008
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CONTENTS
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do
not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any
country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers
or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or
not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended
by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.
The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of FAO.
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ISBN 978-92-5-106024-7
All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product
for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written
permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction
of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited
without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be
addressed to: Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Communication Division,
FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected]
© FAO 2009
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PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT
During the twenty-sixth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, Members noted the importance of
small-scale fisheries trade and requested FAO to continue its work on identifying how trade could benefit
small-scale fisheries and help in generating employment and income. Following this recommendation, ten
case studies on fish trade and small-scale fisheries were undertaken in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The
findings of these studies are summarized in this Fisheries Circular. The studies were carried out by
INFOPESCA, the Centre for Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fish Products in Latin
America and the Caribbean; INFOPÊCHE, the Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information
and Cooperation Services for Fish Products in Africa; INFOSA, the Marketing Information and Technical
Advisory Services for the Fisheries Industry in Southern Africa and by INFOFISH, the Intergovernmental
Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fish Products in the Asia
Pacific Region. These organizations also prepared the study reports.
A summary of the findings of the study reports was incorporated in a paper on fish trade and small-scale
fisheries, which was presented at the tenth session of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, held in
Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 30 May to 2 June 2006. The paper was written by Dr Susana V. Siar,
Fishery Industry Officer, FAO Rome. Its findings and recommendations are incorporated in the
introductory chapter of this Fisheries Circular. The Fisheries Circular was edited by Dr Uwe Tietze,
consultant.
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INFOFISH, INFOPÊCHE, INFOSA, INFOPESCA.
Present and future markets for fish and fish products from small-scale fisheries – case studies from Asia,
Africa and Latin America.
FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 1033. Rome, FAO. 2008. 87p.
ABSTRACT
At the twenty-sixth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, FAO was requested to identify how trade
in fish and fish products could further benefit small-scale fisheries and generate additional income and
employment within the sector. Following this request, case studies were carried out in selected Latin
American, African and Asian countries to study the importance of small-scale fisheries trade and identify
opportunities for better integration into regional and international fish trade. The findings and
recommendations of the case studies were presented and discussed at the tenth session of the FAO Sub-
Committee on Fish Trade, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 30 May to 2 June 2006.
In the countries studied, the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to the total marine catch was
significant and ranged from 70 to 95 percent. The studies show that products from small-scale fisheries are
largely focused on the domestic market. In Africa regional trade in small-scale fisheries products was
found to be very important for meeting the protein requirements of poor people. Women are actively
involved in fish processing and marketing and also participate in capture fisheries in coastal areas and
estuaries as well as in other forms of harvesting of aquatic organisms. Their involvement results in
increased well-being of their households since women’s income is largely spent on food and children’s
education. Study findings suggest that women can gain from increasing trade opportunities through their
involvement in value adding activities and enterprises.
The studies identified several avenues for better integration of small-scale fisheries into regional and
international fish trade. Among them are product diversification, value addition, improvement of product
quality and the access to new markets. However, a number of constraints need to be overcome before this
can be achieved. Post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure and lack of storage and transportation
facilities need to be reduced and knowledge of proper fish handling methods needs to be improved. While
products for export are meeting high quality standards, products for domestic and regional markets are
often processed using substandard hygienic methods. Small-scale fisheries are also excluded from
international markets because of the costs and difficulties encountered when trying to comply with
international standards and those imposed by supermarket chains and other customers.
The studies suggest that efforts should be aimed at improving facilities for preserving fish onboard, at the
establishment of hygienic fish landing sites, increasing storage facilities and the supply of ice as well as
improving roads, which connect fishing communities to markets. Equally important are the improvement
of technical support and extension services to enable fishing communities to access appropriate
technologies and information and training on quality improvement, proper fish handling procedures and
storage, product diversification, value addition as well as on packaging. Fishing communities should also
be assisted in assessing their fisheries and aquatic resources and identifying those that have potential for
trade in the domestic, regional and international markets.
Small-scale fishers and processors can get better prices for their products by shortening the fish supply
chain and increasing their bargaining and lobbying power. In this regard, the formation of marketing
cooperatives should be encouraged and existing associations of small-scale fishers and processors should
be strengthened by providing support for institution building. There is also a need to raise awareness
among microfinance institutions regarding the needs of the small-scale fisheries sector for credit and
savings services.
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Preparation of document
Abstract
Acronyms and abbreviations
1. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF STUDIES ON SMALL-SCALE
FISHERIES AND FISH TRADE
2. PRESENT AND FUTURE MARKETS FOR FISH AND FISH PRODUCTS FROM
SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA – THE CASES
OF INDIA, MALAYSIA AND THAILAND
3. SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES AND FISH TRADE IN WESTERN AFRICA – THE
CASES OF GHANA AND SENEGAL
4. SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES AND FISH TRADE IN SOUTHERN AND EAST
AFRICA – THE CASES OF MOZAMBIQUE AND TANZANIA
5. PRESENT AND FUTURE MARKETS FOR FISH AND FISH PRODUCTS FROM
SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES IN LATIN AMERICA – THE CASES OF MEXICO,
PERU AND BRAZIL