Chinese seafood consumption and implications for the Asia-Pacific

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Chinese seafood consumption and implications
for the Asia-Pacific

• Michael Fabinyi
• Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence
  for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
• and
• Department of Sociology, Peking University

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Leading market for seafood
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Implications for source countries

• Different economic, ecological and political
  opportunities and challenges related to the rise
  of Chinese seafood consumption

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Summary of Talk

• Overview of Chinese seafood consumption
• Luxury seafood consumption in Beijing
• Live reef food fish trade in Philippines

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Overview of Chinese seafood consumption

• Large data gaps basic statistics, trade flows,
  consumption patterns, consumer perspectives
• Strong incentives for falsification of production
  data

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Overview of Chinese seafood consumption

• FAO data refers to food supply 26.7kg/person
• Government consumption data refers to in-home
  consumption 10.1kg/person
• Despite data limitations, clear that seafood
  consumption is rising steadily
• Key drivers increased incomes, urbanisation

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Overview of Chinese seafood consumption
Urban per capita consumption of aquatic products
by region
Zhou et al 2012 Food consumption trends in China
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Overview of Chinese seafood consumption

• Three types of seafood imports
• re-processing and re-exporting (e.g. salmon,
  whitefish)
• fishmeal (for aquaculture)
• luxury high value (for domestic consumption)
• A focus on luxury seafood imports in this talk

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Types of luxury seafood
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Types of luxury seafood
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Types of luxury seafood
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Social drivers of luxury seafood consumption

• The role of the banquet in modern China
• Conspicuous consumption
• Southern Chinese cuisine

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Recent policy developments

• Crack down by Chinese government on corruption
• Significant impact on luxury seafood consumption

Look in the mirror, fix your clothes, take a
bath, and seek remedies - Xi Jinping, President
of China
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Source countries

• Live reef fish for food trade (LRFFT)
• Highlights issues developing countries face when
  exporting seafood to China
• Estimates of trade worth about 1-2billion,
  30,000 tons per year
• Exported mostly to China important component of
  seafood banquets

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LRFFT Commodity Chain
Source
China
Sadovy et al. 2003, While Stocks Last
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Figure courtesy Geoffrey Muldoon, WWF Coral
Triangle
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Ecological impacts of LRFFT

• Overfishing
• Targeting of spawning aggregations
• Use of cyanide
• Plate-sized and juvenile fish targeted

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Fishers perceptions of declines in fish stocks
(n 214)
respondents who think live fish fishing trip length has increased 57
respondents who think catch of leopard coral grouper has decreased 75
respondents who think average size of leopard coral grouper has decreased 74
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Social impacts of LRFFT

• Health issues
• Distribution of financial benefits
• Important livelihood

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Community level problems and issues in LRFFT
fishing communities (n 431)
1. Health care
2. Lack of or limited livelihood opportunities
3. Food security
4. Drinking/potable water supply
5. Lack of roads/ transportation
6. No electrification
7. Limited educational opportunities
8. Declining fish catch and/or depleted fishery resources
9. Lack of access to credit
10. Waste Management
11. Destruction of fishery or coastal habitats
12. Lack of access to markets for products
13. Low price of fish
14. Lack of land for agriculture
15. Peace and order situation
16. Bad weather
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Social issues in LRFFT fishing communities

• Lack of viable alternative livelihoods
• LRFFT is a rare pathway to improved standard of
  living
• Disconnect between household interests and
  wider-scale interests

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Source NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
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Summing up

• Increased Chinese seafood consumption driver of
  stock declines
• Fisheries present potential benefits but
  currently not realised
• Ongoing policy activities by state, ENGO, market
  actors

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Thank you

• ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,
  JCU, Australia
• Prof. Liu Neng, Peking University, China
• Prof. Michael Pido, Palawan State University,
  Philippines

michael.fabinyi_at_jcu.edu.au