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Following the Fish: The Role of Subsistence in a Fish-based Value Chain

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  • Bevilacqua, Ana Helena V.
  • Angelini, Ronaldo
  • Steenbeek, Jeroen
  • Christensen, Villy
  • Carvalho, Adriana R.

Abstract

This study evaluated the socioeconomic benefits generated by the small-scale fisheries sector based on a socio-economic modeling approach using the value chain plugin in the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) software system. Based on an EwE ecosystem model for the Baía Formosa area in Rio Grande do Norte State (Northeast Brazil), a value chain with 14 components was described, including four producers (divided by vessel size categories: sailboat, small, medium, and large engine boat), four processors and distributors, two retailers (in two categories, street markets and restaurants), and three different final consumers (local consumers, subsistence, and tourism). The data was obtained through face-to-face interviews (n = 154) performed between February and November 2014 using the snowball method and tracking the fish around nearby cities. The total revenue from the primary producers (i.e. fishers) was estimated to be US$11 million in 2014. All sectors (including sellers and retailers) encompassed about US$ 44.5 million per year, contributing around US$ 16 million to the GDP. Overall, the price per ton increased three times from it was landed, while employment generation on land was twice that found at sea. Local consumers obtained roughly 66% of production, while subsistence fishers consumed 28% of what was caught. The lowest portion went to tourist consumption (6%). Fish production flowed to local markets and fishers' tables, revealing a clear bias toward the consumption of seafood by local dwellers and the subsistence of local fishers. Few studies have quantified the role of small-scale fishing in providing household income, job creation, and contribution to the GDP. By neglecting such economic and social reliance on natural resource conservation and under the current lack of conservation policies, not only may overfishing become a threat to fishers, but policy makers, managers, and users may inadvertently compromise the continuation of the activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Bevilacqua, Ana Helena V. & Angelini, Ronaldo & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Christensen, Villy & Carvalho, Adriana R., 2019. "Following the Fish: The Role of Subsistence in a Fish-based Value Chain," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 326-334.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:159:y:2019:i:c:p:326-334
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.02.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wilf Swartz & Rashid Sumaila & Reg Watson, 2013. "Global Ex-vessel Fish Price Database Revisited: A New Approach for Estimating ‘Missing’ Prices," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 56(4), pages 467-480, December.
    2. Olson, Julia & Clay, Patricia M. & Pinto da Silva, Patricia, 2014. "Putting the seafood in sustainable food systems," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 104-111.
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    4. Schuhbauer, Anna & Sumaila, U. Rashid, 2016. "Economic viability and small-scale fisheries — A review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 69-75.
    5. Christensen, Villy & de la Puente, Santiago & Sueiro, Juan Carlos & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Majluf, Patricia, 2014. "Valuing seafood: The Peruvian fisheries sector," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 302-311.
    6. Christensen, Villy & Steenbeek, Jeroen & Failler, Pierre, 2011. "A combined ecosystem and value chain modeling approach for evaluating societal cost and benefit of fishing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(3), pages 857-864.
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