International trade and food security

With the increase of trade in fish and fishery products, the issue of fish trade and food security has become important. The dilemma of developing countries exporting fish and fishery products while at the same time large segments of the population are undernourished has been highlighted. Trade experts generally respond to this by underlining that fish exports concentrate on the higher end of the price scale (shrimp, tuna, lobster, salmon) and often are produced exclusively for the export market (aquaculture). In addition, fish processing as a source of employment in disadvantaged areas (shrimp peeling industry, tuna canning industry) is important. Finally, net foreign currency earnings from fish trade enable countries to import less expensive protein, and thus, contribute to food security.

It is obvious that fish trade is necessary for food security for many landlocked countries, as these otherwise would not have access to marine fish. There is also no firm evidence to show that fish exports are detrimental to food security in the export country as the products exported generally are different from those consumed locally. At the same time, there is no substantial evidence that fish export revenues substantially alleviate poverty problems in the exporting country.

The export of high value species from developing countries highlights the need for more research into the development of new products to satisfy low-income markets. It is not clear whether available processing technologies are insufficient for production of low-cost fish products or whether there are particular causes behind lack of distribution of available products, such as frozen pelagic species. Most experts agree that a reduction in use of fish for non-food purposes and a reduction in discards could be beneficial also for food security.