Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 132

PART 2 FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN ACTION
BOX 10
(CONTINUED)
of adult deaths in the subregion are due to NCDs, with
the majority of the deaths occurring among adults in
the economically active age bracket (Pacific Islands
Forum Secretariat, 2011).
Fish has a unique and substantial role in
livelihoods, nutrition, food security and wealth
generation in Pacific Island countries. The people living
in this subregion consume, on average, two to three
times the global average of fish per capita per year
(Gillett, 2016). Fish also accounts for 50 to 90 percent
of animal protein in the diets of coastal populations,
and most of it comes from coastal fisheries (e.g. reef
fish and small pelagic species) (Bell et al., 2011). In
2015, the total catch of tuna, including yellowfin,
albacore, bigeye and skipjack, in national waters in
the subregion stood at more than 587 000 tonnes, but
the vast majority of this catch is exported from the
subregion (WCPFC, 2016). Canned tuna is an
important and growing source of fish in the diet,
particularly in Melanesia. Aquaculture production is
modest and has contributed little to food security in
most of these countries.
» consigning nutritious co-products to be used for
A central challenge in securing and increasing
the role of fish in the Pacific Island countries is to
consider production and consumption under a
range of ecological and social drivers of change.
Production and consumption vary across the
subregion and between coastal and inland areas
of its larger nations; however, a systemic reframing
of the challenge is needed to improve the
economic, environmental and public health
outcomes that are tied naturally to the food system.
Some recent policy narratives, such as the
Framework for Pacific Regionalism (Pacific Islands
Forum Secretariat, 2014) and the 2015 Noumea
Strategy (SPC, 2015), seek more integrated
approaches for fish in nutrition and food security
considerations.
Adaptations to increase the supply of coastal fish
and increase the availability and accessibility of
tuna will require interventions at a range of scales,
from community-level initiatives to national and
regional governance changes, and at all stages of
the food system.
products are accessible to all consumers. Effective
food safet y control and inspection systems must
be systematically implemented. The health risks
associated with specific chemical contaminants
(such as methylmercur y and dioxins) that may be
present in fish and other seafood, both wild and
farmed, are well documented. In 2010, an FAO
and W HO Expert Consultation made a series of
key recommendations to minimize risks and
maximize benefits associated with eating fish
(HLPE, 2014; FAO and W HO, 2011). Experts
emphasized that fish consumption reduces
mortalit y due to coronar y heart disease in the
adult population and improves the
neurodevelopment of fetuses and infants and is
therefore important for women of childbearing
age, pregnant women and nursing mothers. The
benefits thus outweigh the health risks associated
with mercur y and dioxins when consumption
g uidelines are followed. »
animal feeds instead of exploring their use in
tackling micronutrient deficiencies. Fish
processing co-products, such as fish carcasses,
which are increasingly used to produce fishmeal
and fish oil, represent an underutilized source of
nutrients and micronutrients for human
consumption. The fishmeal and fish oil content of
aquaculture feeds can be reduced without
compromising the nutrient content of farmed
aquatic products. Improvements in feed
formulations and in feed manufacture, combined
with better on-farm feed management, can
hugely reduce the quantities of feed (and thus
fishmeal and fish oil) used per kilogram of
farmed aquatic food produced.
Greater product assurance in fresh fish value
chains is needed to safeg uard food safet y and
ensure that the nutritional benefits of fish
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