Examining local fish consumption in the globalized Lake Victoria fishery
Authors: Fiorella Kathryn J , Seto Katherine , Gavenus Erika , Milner Erin M , Omollo Dan O , Mattah Brian , Fernald Lia CH , Brashares Justin 
Published: November 2023

Fish serve as the primary protein source for over 1 billion people. Further, 12% of the world's population fish or trade fish for their livelihoods and 90% are small‐scale fishers in developing countries. Yet declining fish stocks threaten fishery sustainability and fish access for fishing communities. Providing fish for export markets often plays a substantial role in household incomes and is a key management focus of small scale fisheries. However, the effects of managing for export markets and imposing fishing restrictions on access to fish for household consumption are poorly understood.

Here we examine the consequence of competing goals of an international export market and local fish consumption through the case of Lake Victoria, Kenya. In this setting, 65% of households are severely food insecure and 32% of children under 3 are stunted. The Lake Victoria fisheries are dominated by a globalized export fishery for Nile perch that coexists with a regional fishery for undersized Nile perch and sardine‐like dagaa. The fish available through these local markets are critical to the nutrition and food security of the local fishing community and surrounding region, providing the predominant animal source food. We combine fishery catch data with a household survey of 303 randomly selected households over one year (5 time points). We examine fish consumption and method of acquiring fish among households to understand availability of fish for household consumption.

We find that Nile perch size regulations drive patterns of fish sale and consumption, with local residents relying on undersized catch and sardine‐like dagaa for consumption, while selling large Nile perch. Among fishing families and local residents, 39% of fish consumed were Nile perch while 51% were dagaa. The size of fish available further affects the quantity available, with implications for intra‐household allocation of high quality foods. Thirty percent of all fish eaten and 90% of Nile perch meals were on fish below legal catch size with long term implications for fishery sustainability. Nearly all fish consumed in households were purchased rather than caught by household members, even as fishing livelihoods are widespread. That households rely on purchased, low value, small size, and illegally caught fish has broad nutrition implications for improving patterns of food insecurity and chronic under nutrition.

The disjoint in fishery management goals has created a two‐tiered sizing, pricing, and access system with broad implications for local incomes, fish consumption, and food security. Our results also have analogs to the literature examining linkages between agriculture and nutrition, and the extent to which income and home consumption pathways operate. Fishery management that prioritizes exports may be at odds with equitable fish consumption and improved nutrition among fishing families.

Support or Funding Information

This work was supported with partial funding from NSF‐GEO grant CNH115057 and an NSF DDRI to KJF.