tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/seafood-supply-103881/articlesseafood supply – The Conversation2024-01-24T20:58:25Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2200222024-01-24T20:58:25Z2024-01-24T20:58:25ZCanada lags behind on efforts to address human rights abuses in seafood supply chains<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canada-lags-behind-on-efforts-to-address-human-rights-abuses-in-seafood-supply-chains" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Seafood has become a source of concern for consumers who pay attention to the environmental and social impacts of what they buy. Climate change is <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-challenges-marine-conservation-efforts-in-atlantic-canada-211580">adversely affecting ocean ecosystems</a>, and a series of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.02.009">widely publicized scandals</a> have exposed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28916-2">widespread illegal fishing</a> and awful working conditions in both fishing and seafood processing.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104796">Seafarers in fishing</a> often work 18 hours a day in <a href="https://www.the-human-cost-of-fishing.org/">what is widely considered to be the world’s most dangerous profession</a>. Many are at sea for months or even years at a time, and most have <a href="https://globallaborjustice.org/wifinowforfishersrights/">no access to Wi-Fi</a>. <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/human-rights-institute/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/05/Georgetown-THE-PRICE-OF-PARADISE-5-4-19-WEB-2.pdf">They are often excluded from labour laws</a> and <a href="https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/gsc/view/journals/gscj/2/2/article-p146.xml">all are paid very low wages</a>, despite producing food for high-income consumers. </p>
<p>Similarly, those working in seafood processing are also poorly paid, and <a href="https://www.dal.ca/news/2023/03/01/migrant-workers-new-brunswick-conditions.html">many are migrant workers</a> who lack basic labour rights.</p>
<p>In response to these concerns, governments in many seafood importing countries have taken action. The <a href="https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/fisheries/rules/illegal-fishing_en">European Union</a> and <a href="https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/japanese-legislature-passes-law-to-curb-iuu-fishing">Japanese government</a> have banned imports of seafood produced by illegal fishing, while the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/comply-chain/steps-to-a-social-compliance-system/step-6-remediate-violations/key-topic-information-and-resources-on-withhold-release-orders-wros">United States’ program to ban imports produced by forced labour</a> includes seafood. </p>
<p>The EU is also instituting a <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231205IPR15689/corporate-due-diligence-rules-agreed-to-safeguard-human-rights-and-environment">corporate due diligence</a> approach that holds corporations accountable for human rights abuses and environmental impacts in their supply chains.</p>
<p>The Canadian government has yet to implement similar policies for seafood sold in Canada and is an outlier in its failure to hold buyers and retailers accountable for labour abuse in seafood supply chains. In the meantime, many Canadian seafood buyers and retailers have turned to private schemes that certify for sustainability, and less commonly for worker rights.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.loblaw.ca/en/loblaws-journey-to-a-sustainable-seafood-future/">Loblaws</a>, for example, is prioritizing wild-caught seafood that is sourced from fisheries that are certified by the <a href="https://www.msc.org/en-us?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA44OtBhAOEiwAj4gpObPhf7KMXOD6_yH6enKQvw-0LvkGx1BqbUbvBTHwBi6VpXEH0k0RSRoCUnUQAvD_BwE">Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)</a>, as well as organic standards or fisheries making progress toward these or other private standards.</p>
<p>The MSC is the world’s premier sustainability certification for fishing, <a href="https://www.seachoice.org/certification-verification-or-fabrication-a-seachoice-report/">praised by ocean conservation groups</a>. What Canadian seafood consumers do not know is that evidence is mounting that even gold standard certifications like MSC fail to address terrible working conditions in seafood supply chains.</p>
<h2>Seafood supply chains</h2>
<p>To start, we need to recognize seafood supply chain complexity. The freezer sections in Canadian supermarkets are full of frozen seafood labelled “product of China,” while in the canned seafood section, most tuna is labelled as a “product of Thailand.” </p>
<p>In reality, most of this seafood is caught by fisheries around the world and shipped to China, Thailand or other seafood processing hubs, where it is transformed into seafood products and exported — mostly to higher income countries.</p>
<p>China is the world’s <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/cc0461en/online/sofia/2022/trade-of-aquatic-products.html">largest seafood processing hub</a>, importing, transforming and exporting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abl4756">pollack, cod, shrimp, salmon, herring</a> and other species, as well as processing raw material caught by Chinese fishing vessels. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theoutlawocean.com/investigations/china-the-superpower-of-seafood/reach/#the-globe-and-mail">Investigative journalism</a> by the non-profit <a href="https://www.theoutlawocean.com">Outlaw Ocean Project</a> has revealed the use of <a href="https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/bombshell-outlaw-ocean-report-finds-evidence-of-seafood-processed-by-forced-labor-in-us-supply-chain">forced Uyghur labour in many of China’s seafood processing facilities</a>, as well as human rights violations and illegal fishing in <a href="https://www.theoutlawocean.com/investigations/china-the-superpower-of-seafood/findings/">China’s global squid fishery</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1729893072530534477"}"></div></p>
<p>Many of the seafarers who work in this fishery are from Indonesia and the Philippines. They are paid a few hundred dollars a month to work under conditions that would be considered unacceptable on land.</p>
<p>Outlaw Ocean investigators found that many Chinese seafood factories had been audited for labour standards, and that importers were relying on these audits to assure consumers that the seafood was ethical.</p>
<p>But these audits — including the independent audits <a href="https://www.theoutlawocean.com/investigations/china-the-superpower-of-seafood/discussion/#marine-stewardship-council">required by MSC for its sustainability certified seafood</a> — failed to detect the use of forced labour found by the Outlaw Ocean Project.</p>
<p>The Outlaw Ocean’s <a href="https://www.theoutlawocean.com/investigations/china-the-superpower-of-seafood/bait-to-plate/#!">Bait-to-Plate tracing tool</a> has identified many <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-seafood-company-high-liner-cuts-ties-with-supplier-following/">Canadian seafood importers</a> and supermarkets that source from processing plants accused by the Outlaw Ocean of using forced labour.</p>
<h2>Poor working conditions worldwide</h2>
<p>These findings are not unique to China. Our <a href="https://workatsea.info.yorku.ca/">Work at Sea</a> project has found that unacceptable working conditions are ubiquitous in transnational seafood supply chains. This includes Thailand’s tuna canning industry, which is the world’s <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/cc7781en/cc7781en.pdf">largest</a>. </p>
<p>Thailand’s seafood processing industry relies on <a href="https://thailand.iom.int/news/new-report-highlights-opportunities-protect-migrant-workers-thailands-fishing-and-seafood-processing-sector">over 160,000 migrant workers</a> from Myanmar and Cambodia. Workers are not guaranteed a minimum number of working days per month, meaning they are more likely to work excessive overtime hours and/or fall into debt. </p>
<p>This situation is made worse by <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_848445.pdf">inadequate labour inspections</a> and <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/06/10/mscs-revised-chain-custody-certification-fails-adequately-address-forced-labor-and">audits</a>, <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_848445.pdf">ineffective grievance mechanisms</a> and the lack of unions. It is <a href="https://mekongmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Book_Agents-of-Change.pdf">illegal in Thailand</a> for migrant workers to participate in organizing unions, although they can be members of unions.</p>
<p>The raw materials for Thailand’s canned tuna industry are imported as frozen whole fish from fisheries across the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The vessels are owned and operated from Taiwan and other East Asian countries, and are mostly crewed by workers from the Philippines and Indonesia. </p>
<p>These seafarers have told our research team that work on Taiwanese vessels is preferable to Chinese vessels, partly because their pay, at a minimum of US$550 per month minus agency fees, is better.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104685">working conditions still fall short of standards</a> set out in private certifications schemes, government fishing labour regulations or the <a href="https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C188">Work in Fishing Convention</a>, which is meant to ensure fishers have decent working conditions. The reality of this transnational supply chain is not visible on canned tuna labels.</p>
<h2>Canada is lagging behind</h2>
<p>Canada is falling behind in addressing labour abuse and sustainability in seafood supply chains. Although the <a href="https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/frcd-lbr-cndn-spply-chns/index-en.aspx">Forced Labour and Supply Chain Reporting Law</a> came into effect in January 2024, this law has been <a href="https://cnca-rcrce.ca/2023/05/03/canadas-new-law-on-forced-and-child-labour-in-supply-chains-wont-work/">criticized for serving as a mere checkbox exercise</a> for companies and lacking effectiveness in <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-why-canada-will-continue-to-be-a-dumping-ground-of-products-made-with/">curbing forced labour in Canadian supply chains</a>. </p>
<p>To address these shortcomings, Canada needs human rights and environmental <a href="https://cnca-rcrce.ca/campaigns/mhredd/">due diligence legislation</a> — policy that mandates Canadian companies to substantially address human rights abuses and environmental harm in their supply chains.</p>
<p>It is also critical that Canada go beyond private audits and government inspections to work with international institutions to help create a robust system that monitors and enforces standards for work in global fishing, one that meaningfully involves workers. </p>
<p>Canada has not even ratified the International Labour Organization’s <a href="https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C188">Work in Fishing Convention </a> — that would be a good start. For inspection and monitoring, the <a href="https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/focs/about-the-inspectorate">ITF inspectorate</a>, working in some 140 ports around the world to monitor working conditions in the shipping sector, is a potential model.</p>
<p>By taking these steps, Canada can play a pivotal role in fostering ethical and sustainable practices in its seafood supply chains, ensuring the well-being of workers and the environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220022/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Vandergeest receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carli Melo receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the York Centre for Asian Research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Marschke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Canada is an outlier in its failure to hold buyers and retailers accountable for labour abuse in seafood supply chains.Peter Vandergeest, Emeritus Professor, Geography, York University, CanadaCarli Melo, PhD Candidate in Geography, York University, CanadaMelissa Marschke, Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1894712022-09-12T01:00:25Z2022-09-12T01:00:25ZWhere is your seafood really from? We’re using ‘chemical fingerprinting’ to fight seafood fraud and illegal fishing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483426/original/file-20220908-9292-419un6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C6000%2C3359&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-seafood-in-a-market-2031994/">Photo by Chait Goli/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fake foods are invading our supermarkets, as foods we love are substituted or adulterated with lower value or unethical <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JFC-09-2020-0179/full/html">goods</a>.</p>
<p>Food fraud threatens human health but is also bad news for industry and sustainable food <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I8791EN/">production</a>. Seafood is one of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X14003246">most traded food products</a> in the world and reliant on convoluted supply chains that leave the the door wide open for seafood <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-018-0826-z">fraud</a>.</p>
<p>Our new <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12703">study</a>, published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12703">Fish and Fisheries</a>, showcases a new approach for determining the provenance or “origin” of many seafood species.</p>
<p>By identifying provenance, we can detect fraud and empower authorities and businesses to stop it. This makes it more likely that the food you buy is, in fact, the food you truly want to eat.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman walks through a seafood market." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Seafood is one of the most traded food product in the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-waling-on-market-in-meat-and-fish-section-123013/">Photo by Saya Kimura/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-technology-will-help-fight-food-fraud-85783">How technology will help fight food fraud</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Illegal fishing and seafood fraud</h2>
<p>Wild-caught seafood is vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.</p>
<p>Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing can have a devastating impact on the marine environment because:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>it is a major cause of overfishing, constituting an estimated one-fifth of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12462">seafood</a> </p></li>
<li><p>it can destroy marine habitats, such coral reefs, through destructive fishing methods such as blast bombing and cyanide fishing</p></li>
<li><p>it can significantly harm wildlife, such as albatross and turtles, which are caught as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320714003140">by-catch</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>So how is illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing connected to seafood fraud?</p>
<p>Seafood fraud allows this kind of fishing to flourish as illegal products are laundered through legitimate supply <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I8791EN/">chains</a>.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2003741117">study</a> in the United States found when seafood is mislabelled, it is more likely to be substituted for a product from less healthy fisheries with management policies that are less likely to reduce the environmental impacts of fishing.</p>
<p>One <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/fraud_gap_report_final_6_6_16.pdf">review</a> of mislabelled seafood in the US found that out of 180 substituted species, 25 were considered threatened, endangered, or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).</p>
<p>Illegal fishing and seafood fraud also has a human cost. It can:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>adversely affect the livelihoods of law-abiding fishers and seafood <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128015926000048">businesses</a></p></li>
<li><p>threaten food security</p></li>
<li><p>facilitate human rights abuses such as forced labour and <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-32811-5_127-1.pdf">piracy</a> </p></li>
<li><p>increase risk of exposure to pathogens, drugs, and other banned substances in <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/fraud_gap_report_final_6_6_16.pdf">seafood</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>The chemical fingerprints in shells and bones</h2>
<p>A vast range of marine animals are harvested for food every year, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca9229en/">echinoderms</a>.</p>
<p>However, traditional food provenance methods are typically designed to identify one species at a time. </p>
<p>That might benefit the species and industry in question, but it is expensive and time consuming. As such, current methods are restricted to a relatively small number of species.</p>
<p>In our study, we described a broader, universal method to identify provenance and detect fraud. </p>
<p>How? We harnessed natural chemical markers imprinted in the shells and bones of marine animals. These markers reflect an animal’s environment and can identify where they are from.</p>
<p>We focused on a chemical marker that is similar across many different marine animals. This specific chemical marker, known as “oxygen isotopes”, is determined by ocean composition and temperature rather than an animal’s biology. </p>
<p>Exploiting this commonality and how it relates to the local environment, we constructed a global ocean map of oxygen isotopes that helps researchers understand where a marine animal may be from (by matching the oxygen isotope value in shells and bones to the oxygen isotope value in the map).</p>
<p>After rigorous testing, we demonstrated this global map (or “isoscape”) can be used to correctly identify the origins of a wide range of marine animals living in different latitudes. </p>
<p>For example, we saw up to 90% success in classifying fish, cephalopods, and shellfish between the tropical waters of Southeast Asia and the cooler waters of southern Australia.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mussels lie on an ice bed at a shop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Demand for seafood remains strong around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-fresh-mussels-on-white-surface-with-sour-lemons-6397652/">Photo by Julia Volk/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Oxygen isotopes, as a universal marker, worked well on a range of animals collected from different latitudes and across broad geographic areas.</p>
<p>Our next step is to integrate oxygen isotopes with other universal chemical markers to gives clues on longitude and refine our approach.</p>
<p>Working out the provenance of seafood is a large and complex challenge. No single approach is a silver bullet for all species, fisheries or industries. </p>
<p>But our approach represents a step towards a more inclusive, global system for validating seafood provenance and fighting seafood fraud. </p>
<p>Hopefully, this will mean ensure fewer marine species are left behind and more consumer confidence in the products we buy.</p>
<p><em>Dr Jasmin Martino, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, contributed to this research and article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoe Doubleday receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and the Australian Academy of Science.</span></em></p>Traditional food provenance methods are typically designed to identify one species at a time. So we worked out a new approach, as part of a broader effort to combat seafood fraud and illegal fishing.Zoe Doubleday, Marine Ecologist and ARC Future Fellow, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1766822022-03-23T03:29:04Z2022-03-23T03:29:04ZHow much tuna can I eat a week before I need to worry about mercury?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444960/original/file-20220208-23-mcta7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5568%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For as little as A$1 a tin, canned tuna is an excellent, affordable source of protein, polyunsaturated fats and other nutrients. A tin of tuna is significantly cheaper than many types of fresh meat or fish. </p>
<p>Sounds good, but how much can you eat before you need to worry about mercury?</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/mercury/Documents/Mercury%20in%20Fish%20brochure%20Dec%202020%20Final.pdf">Food Standards Australia New Zealand</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is safe for everyone (including pregnant women) to consume canned tuna as part of their fish intake. </p>
<p>Canned tuna generally has lower levels of mercury than tuna fillets because smaller tuna species are used and the tuna are generally younger when caught.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But how many tins a week? </p>
<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/mercury/11016258">Lab tests</a> we did for the ABC TV science program Catalyst in 2015 suggest – depending on your body weight and the exact brand of tuna you buy – you could eat anywhere between 25 and 35 small tins (95g each) of tuna a week before you hit maximum mercury limits.</p>
<p>That’s a level even the most keen tuna-lover would be hard pressed to consume.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-gold-industry-stamped-out-mercury-pollution-now-its-coals-turn-151202">Australia’s gold industry stamped out mercury pollution — now it's coal's turn</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How does mercury end up in fish anyway?</h2>
<p>Mercury is naturally present in our environment but can biomagnify to relatively high concentrations in fish – particularly predatory fish. </p>
<p>In other words, it builds up as smaller fish get eaten by middle-sized fish, which get eaten by large fish, which get eaten by us. So the bigger the fish, the higher the likely mercury content.</p>
<p>Most forms of mercury are potentially very toxic to humans. But to make matters worse, a substantial proportion of mercury in fish is present as methylmercury – a potent neurotoxin formed by bacteria in waters and sediments. </p>
<p>Although mercury pollution has increased since industrialisation, accumulation of methylmercury in animals is a completely natural phenomenon.</p>
<p>Even fish caught from the middle of the ocean, far from any polluting sources, will contain methylmercury.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450287/original/file-20220307-84943-1py9m1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tinned tuna is cheap, tasty and nutritious.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tuna in Australian cupboards is likely smaller species</h2>
<p>Over the years, some scientists have <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23308249.2017.1362370?journalCode=brfs21">raised concerns</a> about high concentrations of mercury in canned tuna. </p>
<p>Mercury concentrations are higher in predatory fish such as tuna and generally increase with age and size. So this concern has largely been associated with the use of tuna species such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935103002202?via%3Dihub">albacore and larger tuna specimens</a>.</p>
<p>Skipjack and yellowfin are the main tuna species listed as ingredients in canned tuna in brands sold at Australian supermarkets. </p>
<p>Skipjack are the smallest of the major tuna species, while yellowfin are larger.</p>
<p>So, the fact the canned tuna in Australian cupboards is likely to contain smaller species is already a bonus when it comes to reducing mercury risk. </p>
<p>But let’s drill down to the details.</p>
<h2>How much mercury can we have?</h2>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Documents/mercury%20in%20fish%20-%20further%20info.pdf">Food Standards Australia New Zealand</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Two separate maximum levels are imposed for fish ― a level of 1.0 mg mercury/kg for the fish that are known to contain high levels of mercury (such as swordfish, southern bluefin tuna, barramundi, ling, orange roughy, rays and shark) and a level of 0.5 mg/kg for all other species of fish.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, whether mercury is harmful or not also depends on the amount of fish you eat and how often. After all, it is the dose that makes the poison.</p>
<p>Based on <a href="https://www.wam.go.jp/wamappl/bb11gs20.nsf/0/49256fe9001b533f49256ef4002474e9/$FILE/2-1_1.pdf">international guidelines</a>, Food Standards Australia New Zealand also provides recommended safe limits for dietary intake. In other words, how much mercury you can safely have from <em>all</em> food sources (not just fish).</p>
<p>This limit is known as the “provisional tolerable weekly intake” or PTWI.</p>
<p>The maximum dose of mercury set for the general population is <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Pages/Mercury-in-fish---background-to-the-mercury-in-fish-advisory-statement.aspx">3.3 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per week</a>. 1,000 micrograms (µg) is 1 milligram (mg).(The guidelines assume all mercury in fish is present as the more harmful methylmercury as a worst case scenario).</p>
<p>The dose for pregnant women is approximately half this value – <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Pages/Mercury-in-fish---background-to-the-mercury-in-fish-advisory-statement.aspx">1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per week)</a>. </p>
<p>Pregnant women are advised to limit their fish intake because of placental transfer of mercury to the unborn foetus and the effect of mercury on neural development.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450289/original/file-20220307-25900-1outlwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Whether mercury is harmful or not also depends on the amount of fish you eat and how often.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Testing three tins</h2>
<p>Our laboratory is well equipped to measure mercury concentrations in fish. As part of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/mercury/11016258">Catalyst</a> program in 2015, we analysed mercury concentrations in Australian fish including three tins of canned tuna purchased from the supermarket.</p>
<p>Given the very low sample numbers, our data is just a snapshot of mercury concentrations. More research is clearly needed.</p>
<p>We found none of the canned tuna brands exceeded the safe consumption levels for mercury of 0.5 milligrams of mercury a kilogram. All three tins had slightly different levels of mercury but even the “worst” one wasn’t that bad. </p>
<p>You would have to eat around 25 tins (at 95g a tin) of it a week before you hit the maximum tolerable intake of mercury. For pregnant people (or people trying to get pregnant), the limit would be around 12 tins (at 95g a tin) a week.</p>
<p>It is unlikely many consumers will reach these limits.</p>
<h2>But watch out for other species of fish</h2>
<p>Some Australian fresh fish can contain higher mercury concentrations than canned tuna.</p>
<p>Food Standards Australia New Zealand <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/mercury/Pages/default.aspx">recommends</a> that, for orange roughy (also known as deep sea perch) or catfish, people should limit themselves to <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Documents/mercury%20in%20fish%20-%20further%20info.pdf">one 150 gram serving a week</a> with no other fish that week. For shark (flake) or swordfish/broadbill and marlin, the <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/mercury/Pages/default.aspx">limit</a> is one serving a fortnight.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176682/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A tin of tuna is significantly cheaper than many types of fresh meat or fish. But how much can you eat before you need to worry about mercury?Simon Apte, Senior Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIROChad Jarolimek, Senior Experimental Scientist, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1623412021-07-29T13:15:39Z2021-07-29T13:15:39Z5 ways climate-driven ocean change can threaten human health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413603/original/file-20210728-21-3aqzwz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C58%2C2982%2C1913&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ocean waters are now warmer, more acidic and hold less oxygen. They're also stressed from overfishing and pollution. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Humans have a deep and complex <a href="https://oceanpanel.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/Human%20Relationship%20with%20the%20Ocean%20Full%20Paper.pdf">relationship with the sea</a>. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.11.007">provides food</a> and <a href="https://fishbase.ca/Nutrients/NutrientSearch.php">essential nutrients</a>, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.4062%2Fbiomolther.2016.181">medicine</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-597X(02)00045-3">renewable energy</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102212">People swim</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1049732314549477">surf</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197238">scuba dive</a> in this “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.04.019">blue gym</a>.” It’s even an important part of therapeutic recreation, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2014.884424">surf therapy</a> for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/well/mind/catching-waves-for-well-being.html">war veterans and children with autism</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2009.08.006">Economies are also bound to the ocean</a>. Fishing, tourism, marine transportation and shipping bring jobs, income and food security, while serving culture and other <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1">social determinants of health</a>.</p>
<p>From our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Littoral.Ulaval/photos/a.1954500618111079/3066356660258797/">ancestors to our children</a>, diverse human cultures, livelihoods and ways of life flow to, and from, the sea. But rising greenhouse gas emissions are changing the ocean and putting our health at risk.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/03_SROCC_SPM_FINAL.pdf">Ocean waters are now warmer, more acidic and hold less oxygen</a>. Ocean ecosystems, already <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture">stressed from overfishing</a> <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/critical-issues-marine-pollution">and pollution</a>, face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8615">escalating risks of further degradation</a>. With melting sea ice, rising sea levels and growing extreme weather events, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0035">human health and well-being now face many threats</a>, most aimed at <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/methodology_sheets/oceans_seas_coasts/pop_coastal_areas.pdf">coastal populations</a>.</p>
<h2>1. Hydrologic disasters</h2>
<p>Marked by their swift and destructive power, <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/managing-the-risks-of-extreme-events-and-disasters-to-advance-climate-change-adaptation/">natural disasters</a> are becoming more extreme and more frequent with climate change. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/cyclone.html">tropical cyclones</a> (like hurricanes and typhoons), <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/currents.dis.2664354a5571512063ed29d25ffbce74">which have killed about 1.33 million people</a> since the beginning of the 20th century, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4570334">are getting more intense with warming ocean waters</a>. The number of <a href="https://time.com/4946730/hurricane-categories/">Category 4 and 5 hurricanes</a> has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-1713-0">increased 25 to 30 per cent for each degree Celsius of human-induced global warming</a> since the mid 1970s.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/floods#tab=tab_1">Storm surges, flooding</a> and physical trauma cause most fatalities and injuries. But in the wake of disaster, environmental and social conditions also threaten public health. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hurricane-damage-harms-the-most-vulnerable-reveals-inequality-and-social-divides-159678">Hurricane damage harms the most vulnerable, reveals inequality and social divides</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Stagnant water and damaged wastewater systems can expose people to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10937404.2019.1654422">toxins, bacteria and viruses</a>. Interruptions to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.3">health care</a> and negative impacts on housing, employment and other social determinants of health subject people to <a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2006.62">distressing conditions</a> (such as crowded shelters and diplacement) beyond the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X1600115X">trauma of the event</a>.</p>
<p>This can worsen <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxi011">a broad spectrum of public health issues</a> — from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emc.2018.07.002">infectious diseases</a> (like <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438646/">cholera</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1707.101050">leptospirosis</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131423">diarrheal diseases</a>) to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases">non-communicable diseases</a> (such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001337">cardiovascular</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.424">respiratory</a> conditions) to <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/hurricanes-take-heavy-toll-mental-health-survivors">adverse mental health</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/another-grim-climate-report-on-oceans-what-will-it-take-to-address-the-compounding-problems-123894">Another grim climate report on oceans – what will it take to address the compounding problems?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21777-1">An increase in hospitalizations</a> has been documented among <a href="https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6976">disaster-affected populations</a> weeks, months and years later. </p>
<p>A well-studied example is Hurricane Katrina, which caused over 1,800 deaths in August 2005 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818aaf55">from drowning, injury and physical trauma</a>, but also led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16010074">an abrupt increase in heart conditions</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01027.x">serious mental illness</a>. A decade later, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112610">persistent mental</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2018.22">cardiovascular health issues</a> are among the reminders of the storm.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>This story is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/oceans-21-96784">Oceans 21</a></em></strong>
<br><em>Our series on the global ocean opened with <a href="https://oceans21.netlify.app/">five in-depth profiles</a>. Look out for new articles on the state of our oceans in the lead up to the UN’s next climate conference, COP26. The series is brought to you by The Conversation’s international network.</em></p>
<hr>
<h2>2. Migration and displacement</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/chapter/chapter-4-sea-level-rise-and-implications-for-low-lying-islands-coasts-and-communities/">With the rise of global sea level</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01362-7">coastal flooding</a> is becoming more common and severe. Another <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67736-6">250,000 square kilometres of coastal land is projected to flood</a> by the end of the century, exposing tens of millions more people to risks. </p>
<p>Advancing ocean waters, erosion and thawing permafrost can make some <a href="https://www.ilo.org/dyn/migpractice/docs/261/Pacific.pdf">coastal settlements hard or impossible to live in</a>. <a href="https://www.oceanfdn.org/sites/default/files/forced%20migration%20alaskan%20community.pdf">The Yup'ik</a> village of <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/climate-change-finally-caught-up-to-this-alaska-village">Newtok</a> (Niugtaq), for example, began the first phase of a planned relocation in 2019, after coastal storms and thawing permafrost began destroying the village. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A single-storey house falling off a snow-covered shoreline into the ocean." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413607/original/file-20210728-15-1y7bdms.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An abandoned house sits on a beach after a storm in Shishmaref, Alaska, in 2005. Residents voted to relocate in 2016 due to the severe coastal erosion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Diana Haecker)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the newly relocated <a href="https://www.kyuk.org/post/after-moving-new-village-mertarvik-residents-say-they-are-healthier">residents have reported feeling healthier</a>, even proactive responses can lead to <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/07/29/mertarviks-lack-of-a-commercial-airport-may-have-already-cost-lives/">new risks</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02382-0">health and well-being</a>. Relocations can lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2018.0021">distress and trauma</a> when residents have a strong attachment to a place. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0981-7">health dimensions of climate-related migrations</a>, especially among those who <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-many-people-will-migrate-due-to-rising-sea-levels-why-our-best-guesses-arent-good-enough-145776">stay or are left behind</a>, have not received enough attention in research and policy. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climigration-when-communities-must-move-because-of-climate-change-122529">'Climigration': when communities must move because of climate change</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Sea ice decline</h2>
<p>Over the past 40 years, Arctic sea ice has become smaller and thinner. <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/">Its overall extent</a> has declined about 13 per cent per decade, and its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL039035">thickness has decreased</a> by at least 1.75 meters. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph showing the downward trend in Arctic sea ice extent" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413384/original/file-20210727-14-6b1ps1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each September. September Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 13.1 per cent per decade, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/">(NSIDC/NASA)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sea ice is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0198">defining feature of life in the Arctic</a>. It provides a platform for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118778371.ch25">travel and harvesting activities</a>, and shapes ecological processes that are at the foundation of local <a href="https://www.nirb.ca/publications/strategic%20environmental%20assessment/190125-17SN034-QIA%20Report%20Re%20Marine%20Based%20Harvesting-IEDE.pdf">cultures, economies, knowledge and food systems</a>. </p>
<p>The sea ice decline makes navigation <a href="https://sikuatlas.ca/index.html?module=module.sikuatlas.sea_ice">more dangerous and less predictable</a>. It can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-008-0060-x">change the timing and location of harvests, increase harvesting costs and reduce how much is harvested</a>. </p>
<p>This can lead to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41758937">less food and money</a>, more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020000117">anxiety about food access</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002402">greater reliance on less healthy imported foods</a>, negatively affecting <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ITK_Food-Security-Strategy-Report_English_PDF-Version.pdf">food security</a> and mental health.</p>
<h2>4. Seafood decline</h2>
<p>Seafood is a key source of protein and essential nutrients, especially where they’re in short supply from other <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238818">locally accessible foods</a>. </p>
<p>But climate change is already <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01995.x">driving species towards the North and South Poles.</a>. This may lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/534317a">serious declines in seafood catches by 2050</a> and negatively affect millions globally, with the most severe impacts in developing countries and among <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166681">coastal Indigenous Peoples</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A red and gold salmon swimming" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413614/original/file-20210728-17-1xna163.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Warmer water temperatures are making salmon more susceptible to predators, parasites and disease — and they’re shrinking in size.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Projected <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145285">declines of salmon and herring catches in British Columbia</a>, for instance, may lead to inadequate intakes of several vitamins, minerals and fatty acids <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211473">for coastal First Nations</a>. When diets shift to processed foods, high in calories and sodium, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x">risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease increase</a>. </p>
<h2>5. Hazards in ocean waters, air and seafood</h2>
<p><a href="http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2831">The ocean is polluted</a> with mercury, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, microplastics — and more. It also harbours many naturally occurring micro-organisms, like <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1128%2FMMBR.68.3.403-431.2004">flesh-eating bacteria and cholera</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.00108s1133">toxins</a>. </p>
<p>These can become dangerous to human health when ocean chemistry and temperature, and other marine ecosystem dynamics, are altered, which can lead to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5016795/pdf/nihms-681151.pdf">shellfish poisoning</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-and-overfishing-are-boosting-toxic-mercury-levels-in-fish-122748">mercury exposure and poisoning</a> and other illnesses. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-and-overfishing-are-boosting-toxic-mercury-levels-in-fish-122748">Climate change and overfishing are boosting toxic mercury levels in fish</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Climate change will <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13667">alter the distribution and severity of pollutants</a>. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2016.09.008">infections from some strains of vibrio bacteria</a> may become more <a href="https://www.contagionlive.com/view/cluster-of-v-vulnificus-pops-up-in-previously-nonendemic-area">frequent and widespread</a> with warming waters. Even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1468-9">rising methylmercury concentrations in tuna</a> have been linked to increasing sea water temperature.</p>
<h2>Navigating forward</h2>
<p>Despite the many connections between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.05.013">ocean health</a> and human health, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10038">global ocean governance</a> has rarely considered the latter. Policies like the U.S. <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title33/chapter44&edition=prelim">Oceans and Human Health Act</a>, and related <a href="https://doi.org/doi:10.1186/1476-069X-7-S2-S1">research and training centres</a>, can bolster the collaboration and co-ordination needed across diverse agencies, sectors and disciplines to support healthy oceans and people. </p>
<p>This interdisciplinary infrastructure and capacity is needed to develop the information (like <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.631732">early warning systems</a>), policies, plans and management systems to mitigate and respond to emerging public health threats from the ocean. We must broaden the framing of ocean change <a href="https://bcgreencare.ca/climate-change-and-role-of-HA">from an “environmental issue” to one that includes human health</a> and <a href="https://www.oceanpanel.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/towards-ocean-equity.pdf">social equity</a>. </p>
<p>As the world turns to the ocean for “<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2017/06/06/blue-economy">blue economies</a>,” “<a href="https://thewalrus.ca/blue-space-is-the-new-green-space/">blue spaces</a>,” “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day103">blue health care</a>” and “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3854678">blue prescriptions</a>,” it’s important to remember the ocean as a site of historic and enduring oppression, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2019.1640774">exclusion</a>, <a href="https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/39233/Hydrophilia_Bell%20et%20al_accepted_CH10_2019.pdf?sequence=2">racism</a> and other violations of <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/lawless-ocean-the-link-between-human-rights-abuses-and-overfishing">human rights</a>. </p>
<p>For the health of the ocean and its peoples, <a href="https://oceannexus.uw.edu/our-community/un-decade-of-ocean-science-for-sustainable-development/">the ocean needs to become more equitable</a> — and that means reconciling and healing the histories and relationships of cultures, values and knowledge systems that all share the sea.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162341/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tiff-Annie Kenny receives funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, ArcticNet, Sentinelle Nord (Apogee Canada) and Genome Canada.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mélanie Lemire receives funding from Indigenous Services Canada, Health Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), Sentinelle Nord (Apogee Canada), Meopar, Genome Canada and Canadian Institute for Heath Research</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Malaya Bishop does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the climate changes, the ocean is also changing. And that’s putting our health at risk.Tiff-Annie Kenny, Adjunct professor, Faculté de médecine, Université LavalMalaya Bishop, Research Assistant, Department of Biology - Food Security, Climate Change, and Indigenous Health, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaMélanie Lemire, Associate professor, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université LavalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1594352021-04-30T04:20:32Z2021-04-30T04:20:32ZHow small-scale seafood supply chains adapt to COVID-19 disruptions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397273/original/file-20210427-21-igs0p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mobile traders, or _pedagang along-along_, in Langkat, Sumatra, were able to continue selling fish despite COVID-19 disruptions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sharon K. Suri</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In February 2020, Rio (not his real name), a crab and sea snail processor in Langkat regency on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, found his business drying up. Normally at this time of year his business would have been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912421000043?via%3Dihub">booming from seafood exports</a> to China and Hong Kong for the Lunar New Year festival. </p>
<p>Like many others in small-scale seafood supply chains across the world, Rio was feeling the impacts of COVID-19. </p>
<p>In the early months of the pandemic, community lockdowns and public health risks combined with restrictions on worker movement and seafood trade forced small-scale fishing communities in several parts of the world to close down their businesses. They were <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08920753.2020.1766937">left in a state of economic and social uncertainty</a>.</p>
<p>Some small, local seafood vendors, like Indonesian <em>pedagang along-along</em> who sell fish, vegetables and other perishable foods from motorbikes, adapted. They were able to continue selling seafood despite the pandemic. </p>
<p>How did they cope? What helped or hindered others in small-scale seafood supply chains as they dealt with uncertainties generated by COVID-19?</p>
<p>In a recent article, we documented the initial pandemic impacts and responses across seven seafood supply chains in Indonesia, India, Peru and the US. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X21000851?via%3Dihub">Our findings</a> offer insights into how to increase the adaptability of fishworkers and small-scale seafood supply chains in preparation for future shocks.</p>
<h2>Coping amid the pandemic</h2>
<p>In some countries, like India and Peru, the important role of fishing and seafood sales in <a href="http://www.oannes.org.pe/noticias/pesca-y-acuicultura/peru-pesca-artesanal-y-el-coronavirus-un-cambio-de-la-historia-peruana/">maintaining livelihoods and providing food was overlooked</a>. The sector was <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/indias-fishers-have-been-crushed-by-covid-19/">not classified as an essential service and was not allowed to continue operating</a>, despite its economic contribution to society.</p>
<p>Seafood is the <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture">most traded food item</a> in the world. Yet an <a href="http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/515701468152718292/pdf/664690ESW0P1210120HiddenHarvest0web.pdf">estimated 81%</a> of the catch from small-scale fisheries is sold for local consumption. </p>
<p>The global small-scale seafood sector <a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/the-ocean-economy-in-2030_9789264251724-en#page1">employs 32 million fishers and 78 million individuals</a> involved in processing and sales. Seafood supply chains are economically important for trade and livelihoods and critical to food systems.</p>
<p>International trade <a href="http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1467-7679.2010.00486.x">supports the livelihoods of many fishworkers</a>, but also exposes them to the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378015300133?via%3Dihub">risks of global markets</a>. </p>
<p>As COVID-19 began to disrupt international trade, fishworkers involved in seafood exports had few options but to sell locally. Due to differences in preferences, this was not always successful. For example, jumbo flying squid is eaten in Peru, but not at the volumes or in the product forms consumed in the international market. </p>
<p>In some cases, high-production areas such as Langkat or <a href="https://es.mongabay.com/2020/05/peru-covid-19-economia-de-pescadores-artesanales-oceanos/">coastal regions of Peru</a> ended up with more seafood than local markets could handle. The result was a price crash. </p>
<p>Participating in a variety of supply chains, particularly at smaller, more local scales, helped some fishworkers deal with these shocks. </p>
<p>For example, in California, consumption of sea urchin roe, or <em>uni</em>, was usually limited to restaurants. With restaurants closed, some <em>uni</em> fishers and sellers promoted local supply chains by <a href="https://laist.com/news/food/sea-urchin-fishing-covid-santa-barbara-uni">teaching customers how to handle and prepare uni at home</a>. This made direct sales easier. </p>
<p>In India’s Andaman Islands, grouper fishers switched from multi-hooked longlines to nets. This enabled them to catch different fish and sell these to local markets. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://globalfishingwatch.org/news-views/peruvian-fisheries-covid-19/">Peruvian offshore and high seas artisanal fishers switched to nearshore fishing</a>. By doing this, they contributed to local food security while earning revenue from diverse sources. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396947/original/file-20210426-17-1yh9cni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Seafood supply chains span from the local (center) to global (outer ring) and include a variety of actors (icons/nodes). COVID-19 disruptions caused some activities to increase (blue), reduce (green), or become inactive (yellow) for supply chains like Langkat’s export-oriented processors (LE) and domestic mobile traders (LD), Andaman Islands’ grouper fishery (AE) and local net-based fishery (AD), Peru’s export-oriented (PE) and domestic-oriented (PD) artisanal fisheries, and California’s red sea urchin dive fishery (CU).</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In all seven of the seafood supply chains we examined, some individuals and organisations quickly changed their marketing strategies and adapted to pandemic-related regulations. </p>
<p>Existing networks of fishery organisations and relationships with consumers helped reorient supply chains. For example, Peruvian fishing associations, which are normally socially and politically active, began marketing seafood through local supply chains. </p>
<p>In India, the <a href="https://www.dakshin.org/">Dakshin Foundation</a> and other non-profits working along the coast <a href="https://thebastion.co.in/politics-and/the-shore-scene-the-heavy-toll-of-the-covid-19-on-indias-fishers/">harnessed existing networks</a> like the National Fishworkers Forum and partnered with boat associations in several coastal states, including the Andamans, to distribute food aid within fishing communities and help stranded fishworkers return home.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397283/original/file-20210427-23-ivbj9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Communication technologies helped fishers and traders connect with networks and shift supply chains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christopher Giordano</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With limited ability to meet in person, fishers and seafood traders used familiar apps, like WhatsApp, to communicate with other fishworkers and connect to local buyers. </p>
<p>In the Andamans, communities used WhatsApp to co-ordinate aid. In Peru, it was used to set up informal fish distribution networks. This enabled fish sellers to launch new services such as door-to-door delivery. </p>
<p>California’s <a href="https://www.thdocksidemarket.com/">Tuna Harbor Dockside Market</a> quickly developed an online platform to sell directly to consumers. At the same time, this increased their social media presence. The shift to online marketplaces enabled some fish sellers to reach a wider audience.</p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>COVID-19 has exposed many existing weaknesses in small-scale seafood supply chains. It has also highlighted several successful strategies for adapting to such large-scale shocks. </p>
<p>In the cases examined, these actions contributed to livelihoods and seafood distribution being able to continue during this pandemic.</p>
<p>The successes and failures of strategies adopted by individuals and organisations within this sector offer clear lessons for policymakers, the public and development agencies. </p>
<p>Policymakers could recognise small-scale fisheries as essential food suppliers, while local markets support small businesses and fishing communities to help supply chains adapt to disruptions. </p>
<p>When it comes to technology, NGOs, development agencies and the tech sector could help cultivate social networks and digital technologies for that purpose. </p>
<p>These lessons can inform adaptations to climate change and other predicted threats to seafood supply chains in <a href="https://focusweb.org/covid-19-outbreak-socio-economic-impact-on-small-scale-fisher-and-aquaculture-in-indonesia/">Indonesia</a> and beyond.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Sonia Sharan at Oceana and Christopher Giordano at Future of Fish co-authored this study and contributed to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159435/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sahir Advani is a Junior Adjunct Fellow at Dakshin Foundation, a not for profit fisheries organization. Sahir received funding from The University of British Columbia, International Development Research Centre, Robin Rigby Trust for Collaborative Coastal Research to conduct part of this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Bassett receives funding from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Foreign Language and Areas Studies Fellowship, and the South Bay Cable/Fisheries Liaison Committee. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Lau works for WorldFish—an international, not for profit research organization and part of the CGIAR that seeks to deliver research for a more food secure world, particularly for societies most vulnerable women and men. This research was supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems and the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon K Suri is studying fish trade networks in Indonesia within the Innovative Knowledge About Networks- Fish For Food (IKAN-F3) project through the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) at the University of Amsterdam. The IKAN-F3 project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO project W 07.50.1818).
</span></em></p>Local, flexible buyers and networks helped support small-scale seafood supply chains coping with COVID-19 disruptions.Sahir Advani, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British ColumbiaHannah Bassett, PhD Student, School of Aquatic and Fishery Science, University of WashingtonJacqueline Lau, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversitySharon K Suri, PhD Researcher, University of AmsterdamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.