The STEP Project: Seafood Trade, Ecosystems & People

Suggested Bibliographic Reference: Challenging New Frontiers in the Global Seafood Sector: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 11-15, 2016. Compiled by Stefani J. Evers and Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2016.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.After half a century of fisheries development focused on large-scale fisheries the policy arena is finally becoming more conductive to sustaining small-scale fisheries (SSF) in economically developing countries, with a particular focus on international trade opportunities. Debates for and against increased integration of SSF into globalized trade have been presented, though neither sufficiently capture the reality of the situation and tend to focus on higher-value export orientated trade. However the main trade to which these SSF are linked is lower-value processed fish sold more regionally which provides the bulk of fisherfolks’ food security as well as employment options. Taking a Value Chain (VC) approach, that combines multiple disciplines, SSF trade dynamics are examined in primarily Zanzibar (Tanzania) as well as Mozambique and Kenya using a Social-Ecological Systems lens. Preliminary results have uncovered major trade corridors between Zanzibar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, large quantities of dried anchovies ‘Dagaa’ are moving on a monthly basis right across the continent to meet growing demands. Understanding how this large operation is structured, organized and governed will greatly aid managers or policy makers as currently up-to-date statistics or information on Africa-to-Africa fish trade is severely lacking. An important question this project brings to light is what does this type of trade mean for the sustainability of local SSF in Zanzibar? Attempts to understand the basic characteristics of this trade are crucial for protecting food and livelihood security both in the local system and along the trade routes