Fish are a major source of micronutrients and essential fatty acids that have a high potential of reducing the rates of malnutrition and its associated health conditions such as maternal mortality, stunted growth, or pre-eclampsia. Unfortunately, a research team led by Lancaster University has recently found that foreign fishing and international seafood trade exacerbate nutrition insecurity by taking fish away from the waters of nations with high levels of malnutrition and diverting them to wealthier countries.
By analyzing global fish catches, trade, and nutrient composition (calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, omega-3, protein, and vitamin A) for global marine fisheries, the scientists found that over 60 percent of countries receive net gains in fish-related nutrients through international trade, with Nigeria, France, Japan, and Italy gaining the most. However, these practices cause a third of the world’s nations net losses of such nutrients, with over half of them among African countries and vulnerable small island states, where malnutrition is already a major public health problem.
“The findings suggest that when nutritional differences among fish species and nations’ nutritional needs are considered, distributions of fish supplies through foreign fishing, and amplified by international trade, may be undermining nutritional food security and international equity,” said study lead author Kirsty Nash, a research fellow in Marine Socioecology at the University of Tasmania.