World Food Policy Volume/Issue 2-2/3-1 Fall 2015/Spring 2016 | Page 45

World Food Policy

products when they initially buy from a
fisher. After this, procurement is based
on a system of trust.

Shop staff admitted that the
NGO Thai Sea Watch Association had
“promoted the use of legal gear within
the [communities] first,” before the Shop
was established (019). T herefore, most
local fishers who are selling to the Shop
already engage in relatively ecologically
sound fishing practices9 and are often
involved in conservation projects (e.g.,
constructing artificial reefs, crab banks,
protecting seagrass beds, and not fishing
in the immediate nearshore). Even so,
fishers would appreciate further support
in communicating the importance of
protecting ocean ecology to consumers
and the public more broadly. One fisher
suggested that the Shop appoint at least
one staff member to help with this
transmission of knowledge. In this sense,
fishers want “the Shop [not to] act only as
a MP” (013), rather to be an advocate for
ocean health too. Consumers too were
interested to learn more “on the kinds
of fish…and the Shop itself ” (003) and
to understand the seasonal schedule for
species.

Shop consumers, in some cases,
indicated that they consider their seafood
purchases in terms of seasonality and
trophic levels. For instance, when asked
if they would purchase another kind of
seafood if their preferred type was not
available, over half of the consumers
interviewed said that they would, since

seasonality is important and “it is very
hard to manage the Shop” (009). Unsure
participants said that they would see
what other fish was available and whether
or not it is familiar; one participant said
that she would “go to buy pork or chicken
instead” (008). In terms of trophic levels,
half of the consumers interviewed
claimed to take this into consideration
when purchasing seafood, explaining
that they “don’t like to buy species at top
of food chain” (008) or prefer to “eat fish
of small size because of less toxin” (007).
One consumer even noted how “if you
don’t think about level of the food chain
then it is not sustainable and will not
leave [resources] for the next generation”
(004). While many consumers we
spoke with hold a surprising amount of
knowledge on various ecological topics
such as seasonality, bioaccumulation, and
trophic levels, this was not the case across
all Shop consumers nor is this likely the
case across the general population.
Ensuring continuing seafood access

By purchasing seafood directly
from fishers, the Shop is shifting market
relations. Fishers have long been
dependent upon close relationships with
local MP. This relationship is linked
with the quasi-credit system, whereby
MP provide fishers with interest free
monetary loans to support fishingrelated activities (e.g., the buying of
physical assets such as a fishing boat and

9

Although there is no limit to the amount of gear used per fisher (which has clear sustainability implications), fishers note that they now use larger mesh sizes than before (2 cm originally) and that none
of the fishers selling to the Shop use bottom trawls.

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