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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.
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