Fisheries marketing systems and consumer preferences in Puttalam District Sri-Lanka

The aim of this study was to understand the current and historic market situation for inland fish and it’s substitutes in order to identify which of the various production opportunities presented by the seasonal tank resource might have greatest relevance for marginal communities in the Dry-zone. Regional and sub-regional market networks for fish and meat products were investigated, ranking and scoring exercises used to characterise consumer demand in rain-fed areas of North West Province and secondary data sources were used to assess historic patterns of demand and supply [PDF contains 57 pages]

Regulation in Uganda's Lake Victoria fishery: historical and contemporary conditions

This paper sets out to explore how Uganda's lake Victoria fishery has been managed. It explores the management of the fishery during the protectorate period, and argues that the apparent success of regulation during this time may be attributed to the very heightened controls arising from Sleeping Sickness Controls. Once these were removed, entry into the fishery was rapid and uncontrolled, and the resultant impact on fish stocks was quickly felt. With its huge area, considerable shoreline, and innumerable islands, the lake Victoria fisheries service was quickly overwhelmed and disbanded as a result. In the early independence years, the Republic's government focused on developing the fishery, plans thwarted by turmoil of, and following, Idi Amin's reign. More recently, the fishery has prospered from Uganda's entry into the Nile perch fillet export market, which ahs adversely affected stocks. We present and comment on recently collected data that considers fishers' impressions of the status of the fishery, regulations and future managerial possibilities, and comment on these in the light of recent changes to Uganda's fisheries administration

Addressing and adapting to contemporary coastal management issues in the central Philippines

With arguably the world’s most decentralized coastal governance regime, the Philippines has implemented integrated coastal management (ICM) for over 30 years as one of the most successful frameworks for coastal resource management in the country. Anthropogenic drivers continue to threaten the food security and livelihood of coastal residents; contributing to the destruction of critical marine habitats, which are heavily relied upon for the goods and services they provide. ICM initiatives in the Philippines have utilized a variety of tools, particularly marine protected areas (MPAs), to promote poverty alleviation through food security and sustainable forms of development. From the time marine reserves were first shown to effectively address habitat degradation and decline in reef fishery production (Alcala et al., 2001) over 1,100 locally managed MPAs have been established in the Philippines; yet only 10-20% of these are effectively managed (White et al., 2006; PhilReefs, 2008). In order to increase management effectiveness, biophysical, legal, institutional and social linkages need to be strengthened and “scaled up” to accommodate a more holistic systems approach (Lowry et al., 2009). This summary paper incorporates the preliminary results of five independently conducted studies. Subject areas covered are the social and institutional elements of MPA networks, ecosystem-based management applicability, financial sustainability and the social vulnerability of coastal residents to climate change in the Central Philippines. Each section will provide insight into these focal areas and suggest how management strategies may be adapted to holistically address these contemporary issues. (PDF contains 4 pages)

Assessment of consumer acceptance of kilishi of African carp (Labeo coubie Rueppell) and Elephant snout (Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis, Guenther)

This study was carried out to assess consumers' acceptance of kilishi prepared from Labeo coubie and Hyperopisus bebe occidentalis in Sokoto. The organoleptic properties (texture, odour, taste and flavour) of kilishi in its fresh form and under storage for 16 weeks were determined. The mean scores for the organoleptic assessment (6.90 and 7.19 for kilishi of Labeo and Hyperopisus respectively) showed that fish kilishi was highly acceptable. Hyperopisus kilishi recorded slightly higher mean scores for the tested organoleptic properties. The declining pattern of the sensory assessment scores with length of storage indicated that the optimum storage period under the room temperature for kilishi made from the experimental fish species in the study area was 6-8 weeks. Further research on appropriate storage methods is desirable. However, preparation of fish kilishi could be explored as alternative preservation technique to reduce fish spoilage especially during the glut in supply and to diversify fish products

Changes in consumer tastes in the demand for fish and meat in Malaysia

In this article the demand for fish and its substitute was estimated using a very flexible demand function, the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) developed by Deaton and Muelllbaeur (1980), incorporating the habit formation variable to measure the impact of the changes in tastes in comsumer demand for fish and meat products from 1960 to 1990 in Malaysia. Information on price and income elasticities for these meat groups was also obtained. To incorporate consumption habit variables, the dynamic translating procedure proposed by Pollak (1970) and Pollak and Wales (1981) has been adopted. The overall results of the maximum likelihood estimates of the dynamic AIDS model are quite good where 19 of 30 coefficients are significantly different from zero and the minimum budget shares, the constant, are between zero and one for each meat type. Consumers tend to purchase and consume fish, chicken, and pork almost daily. Beef and mutton are only consumed occassionally since they are relatively more expensive. This finding is consistent with the trend observed in the per capita consumption and budget share where fish, chicken, and pork tended to dominate over beef and mutton from 1960 to 1990.

Traditional institutions and their role in the contemporary coastal resource management in the Pacific Islands

A discussion is presented on the role played by customary marine tenure (CMT) institutions in the regulation of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean Islands. Particular reference is made to the system in operation in Marovo Lagoon, in the Solomon Islands, whereby a number of defined clans control resource use within defined areas of land and sea. It is believed that such systems have considerable capacity for handling and adapting to new circumstances, thereby becoming potentially important tools in the contemporary management of fisheries and of the coastal zone in general.

Consumption pattern and consumer preference for value-added fish and fish products in north zone of India

Present paper attempts to analyze consumption pattern and consumer preferences towards value-added fish and fish products in north zone of India. Results reveal that socio economic variables affect consumption of value-added fish and fish products. A total of 49 percent respondents were of middle age group (35 to 50 years). All were literates except 7% from the rural area. All were purchasing fish at least once in 15 days. A total of 90% respondents in rural, 11% in semi urban and 50% in urban area were unaware of value-added fish and fish products. About 10% of respondents had consumed it, out of which most were from urban area. Demand analysis by Cobb Douglas (CD) Demand function revealed that when price of fish, price of the substitutes, income of family and family size were used as independent variables, variation in demand of fish explained by CD Demand function was about 39% in urban area, 24% in semi urban area and 22% in rural area. From Garette ranking technique major problems in fish consumption found were irregular supply, lack of fresh fish, high price and presence of bones in fish. While lack of awareness, unavailability, no preference and unacceptable taste were major problems for consumption of value-added fish and fish products.