World Food Policy Volume/Issue 2-2/3-1 Fall 2015/Spring 2016 | Page 33

World Food Policy

Within the seafood sector, a
large number of competing management
practices and standards have developed—
some global, some national, and others
targeting specific species or fishing
methods—with over 30 fisheries ecolabels
in existence (Jacquet et al. 2010; Roheim
2009; Parkes et al. 2010). The dominant
global sustainability standard for wild
catch fisheries is the Marine Stewardship
Council (MSC) (Blackmore and Norbury
2015): ~12 percent of world fisheries
production is currently MSC certified,
although this market is generally limited
to species consumed in the North (Belton
and Bush 2014; Bush et al. 2013; Marine
Stewardship Council 2014). MSC has
single-handedly created “sustainable fish”
as a commodity that has been brought
into mainstream retail in North America
and Europe (i.e., Walmart and Carrefour)
(Ponte 2012; Vandergeest, Ponte, and Bush
2015). A significant portion of producers
and consumers of lower level trophic
species, however, are being excluded from
such markets.

Asia, as a region, has substantial
potential in terms of marketing local
sustainable seafood: 84 percent of all people
employed in fisheries and aquaculture live
in Asia (over 58 million people) (Food and
Agriculture Organization 2014). As a food
source, fish continues to be a major source
of animal protein and plays an especially
important role in many vulnerable rural
and coastal communities (Belton and
Thilsted 2014). Fish also play a central
role in culture and cuisine in inland
and coastal regions, and the continuing
rise of an urban middle class is likely to
result in even higher levels of demand
for seafood products. Consumer surveys
in Thailand show a substantial market

for organic foods and related labels, with
consumers willing to pay high premiums
(Posri, Shankar, and Chadbunchachai
2006; Roitner-Schobesberger et al. 2008;
Sangkumchaliang and Huang 2012a). The
question is whether this interest could be
extended to sustainable seafood, as the
motivation for organic consumers seems
to be primarily about health and safety.

Our article explores the possibility
of expanding coverage of sustainable
seafood through tapping national markets
and the degree to which such markets can
respond to the interests of small-scale
producers. The article traces how a Thai
Fisherfolk Shop—referred to throughout
this article as the Shop—located 4 hours
south of Bangkok has worked to develop
an alternative market for seafood caught
by small-scale fishers. This Shop is one
of a planned network of such shops
throughout Thailand, marketing seafood
caught mainly from the Gulf of Thailand.
We begin our article by analyzing the
type of aquatic species caught by local
fishers that the Shop procures seafood
from, before turning to an assessment of
how the Shop more generally procures,
processes, and sells sustainable seafood.
We then consider why consumers are
willing to pay premium prices for local,
sustainably sourced seafood, drawing
on conventions theory to aid in our
analysis, and reflect upon the challenges
facing fishers, the Shop, and consumers
to ensure a fit between supply, demand,
and sustainability. We argue that this
case provides evidence of how a local
sustainable seafood movement can meet
multiple demands and support a move
toward social-ecological sustainability in
the fisheries.

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