Indian Ocean fisheries play significant role in providing food, nutritional health for millions
Seafood from the Indian Ocean, which contains high levels of micronutrients relative to its share of the global seafood supply, plays a critical role in providing nutritious food and nutritional security for millions who live near the ocean and beyond, according to a study co-authored by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues from the University of Western Australia and the University of British Columbia.
The study was published July 10 in the journal Fish and Fisheries. Harvard Chan School co-authors included Christopher Golden, associate professor of nutrition and planetary health; Jessica Zamborain-Mason, postdoctoral research fellow; and Laura Elsler, research associate.
The researchers found that Indian Ocean fisheries provided 12% of all seafood caught globally in the wild from 2015-2019. These fisheries also provided outsized levels of certain micronutrients, including around 30% of calcium from seafood worldwide, almost 20% of vitamin A, 15% of iron, and 13% of vitamin B12—nutrients that are essential for the health of over 800 million people living in the Indian Ocean region. Additionally, comparing seafood species, the researchers found that small fish from local fisheries such as anchovies and sardines are much more nutritious than the larger and more popular tuna and squid caught by ships from outside the region.
A press release from the University of Western Australia noted that these foreign fleets, by seeking fish with high economic value—like tuna—export economic and nutritional benefits out of the region while limiting the catch for local communities.
“This study highlighted the need to develop and implement nutrient-sensitive fisheries policies and management strategies that consider the diverse and sometimes competing priorities of nutrition, economics, conservation, and climate resilience,” the researchers wrote in the study.
Read the study: Quantifying the Nutritional and Socio-Ecological Dimensions of Indian Ocean Fisheries
Read the University of Western Australia press release: Indian Ocean fisheries play outsized role in nutritional security
