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Global literature highlights risks in the seafood trade and suggests mitigation methods, but these issues are often overlooked in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan, due to ineffective policy implementation. This underlines the urgent need for a thorough investigation into Pakistan's seafood trade to address its multifaceted risks and revive this agricultural sector. This study is notable for being the first to explore these uncharted risks in Pakistan's seafood trade, which can help achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, particularly SDG 14 (life underwater) and SDG 2 (zero hunger). Primary data were gathered from 626 respondents using snowball sampling and structured questionnaires from July 13, 2023, to December 27, 2023. The study used multi-criteria decision analysis, including fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), and multivariate analysis, comprising Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), to analyze the data. The findings revealed that 'environmental risks' were the most significant, followed by 'infrastructure and logistic risks'. The biggest subrisk identified for managerial focus includes overfishing. Controlling overfishing is critical for ensuring marine conservation and reviving the seafood trade. Several sub-risks, like seafood prices, marketing strategies, consumer preferences, and tastes, are critical but never addressed in the regulations. Furthermore, risk perception mediates the relationship between risk management and risk performance. The survey respondents reported low-risk perception and inadequate management measures. Besides, this study expounds on ramifications, shortcomings, and areas for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2014, economic sanctions between Russia and Western nations have significantly altered the global seafood trade. The consequent decline in bilateral trade also had spillover effects on the rest of the world (ROW). According to earlier studies, economic sanctions appear to negatively impact bilateral trade and income. However, few studies examine how Russian sanctions affect the world as a whole and estimate their effects on the fisheries industry. This study seeks to close this gap by quantifying the extent to which Russian sanctions have impacted trade in terms of trade deflection, trade destruction, trade depression, and trade creation. To this end, panel data from 185 countries were created for the years from 2005 to 2020. With trade policy variables that account for changes in trade channels, a structural gravity trade model was specified. Based on calculations using the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) fixed effect model, economic sanctions led to a 119.28% surge in Russia's seafood imports from the rest of the world (ROW), alongside a 39% decline in imports from Western countries. The extent of trade deflection, which includes the exports of Western nations diverted from Russia to the ROW markets, increased by 5.49%. The results demonstrate that trade between sanctioned states, as well as global trade, is significantly impacted by economic sanctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at assessing the validity and accuracy of the new official Bulgarian list of seafood trade names in compliance with EU requirements, and the list evolution and adherence to the Bulgarian market trends. The new list consists of 88 commercial designations (CD) associated with 81 scientific names (SN) provided as 72 species, 8 genera and 1 family mostly belonging to the fish category (86.4%, SN = 70). The list analysis highlighted the presence of 14 invalid SN (17.3%), with an obsolete classification. In terms of adherence to the Bulgarian market's trend the inclusion of 51 new SN reflecting fishing data in total, both from inland waters and along the Black Sea coast was pointed out. However, 44 SN relating to commercially relevant species and currently available at purchase were deleted. In terms of accuracy, the introduction of SN as family, the significant reduction of CDs and the use of vague CDs lead the list to distance itself from the one name-one fish conception, proposed at international level, as ideal approach for unambiguous product identification by the consumer. To conclude, the analysis shows a clear will of the national Bulgarian Legislator to enhance local fisheries and aquaculture trade. Nevertheless, major issues related to the SN validity and the non-adherence to seafood market trends are highlighting the ineffectiveness of the current list in describing retail seafood products. This emphasizes the urgency to provide a further substantial list revision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishery collapse has been defined as a fishery with annual landings less than 10% of the historic maximum observed catch. However, this 10% rule is not grounded in bioeconomic theory despite being widely used in empirical economic studies of fisheries. We assess the 10% rule by simulating fisheries under pure open access, open access with cost changes, open access with critical depensation, optimal management (both deterministic and stochastic cases), and rebuilding plans. We show that the 10% rule generates false negatives and false positives, and that the prevalence of these problems varies under different institutional configurations, economic incentives, and biological conditions. We urge researchers to abandon this outcome measure for comparative empirical tests and encourage more research on collapse that attends to human agency and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, seafood mislabeling has been increasingly documented, raising public concern over the identity, safety, and sustainability of seafood. Negative outcomes from seafood mislabeling are suspected to be substantial and pervasive as seafood is the world's most highly traded food commodity. Here we provide empirical systems-level evidence that enabling conditions exist for seafood mislabeling in the United States (US) to lead to negative impacts on marine populations and support consumption of products from poorly managed fisheries. Using trade, production, and mislabeling data, we determine that substituted products are more likely to be imported than the product listed on the label. We also estimate that about 60% of US mislabeled apparent consumption associated with the established pairs involves products that are exclusively wild caught. We use these wild-caught pairs to explore population and management consequences of mislabeling. We find that, compared to the product on the label, substituted products come from fisheries with less healthy stocks and greater impacts of fishing on other species. Additionally, substituted products are from fisheries with less effective management and with management policies less likely to mitigate impacts of fishing on habitats and ecosystems compared with the label product. While we provide systematic evidence of environmental impacts from food fraud, our results also highlight the current challenges with production, trade, and mislabeling data, which increase the uncertainty surrounding seafood mislabeling consequences. More integrated, holistic, and collaborative approaches are needed to understand mislabeling impacts and design interventions to minimize mislabeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has led to a number of policy, trade and surveillance measures. While much attention has been given to the impact of IUU regulation on industrial fleets, recognition of the distinct impacts on small‐scale fisheries is conspicuously lacking from the policy and research debate. In this paper, we outline three ways in which the application of IUU discourse and regulation undermines small‐scale fisheries. First, the mainstream construction of "illegal," "unreported" and "unregulated" fishing, and also the categorical use of "IUU" in an all‐inclusive sense, disregards the diversity, legitimacy and sustainability of small‐scale fisheries practices and their governing systems. Second, we explore how the recent trade‐related measures to counter IUU fishing mask and reinforce existing inequalities between different sectors and countries, creating an unfair burden on small‐scale fisheries and countries who depend on them. Third, as IUU fishing is increasingly approached as "organized crime," there is a risk of inappropriately targeting small‐scale fisheries, at times violently. Reflecting on these three trends, we propose three strategies by which a more sensitive and ultimately more equitable incorporation of small‐scale fisheries can be supported in the global fight against IUU fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the world's largest seafood exporter, and changes in its seafood trade patterns have global impacts. In this article, China's trade patterns are investigated using a gravity-type model. To examine whether trade patterns vary by product form and species group, 13 different models are estimated. The results indicate substantial variation in trade patterns across product categories. In particular, seafood in the live and fresh product forms are a separate group for which trade is significantly more influenced by distance and income level, while the size of the economy and region significantly affects the trade of products in other forms. Particularly notable is the lower unit value of the products shipped to Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have investigated salmon consumption and trade in unconventional emerging markets. Using import data, we calculate average per capita monthly salmon consumption in Taiwan, where all supply is imported, and use weighted least squares regression to relate it to economic variables, such as price, income, product types, and the exchange rate. By doing so, we interpret importers’ willingness to import and the features of salmon consumption. Results show complementarity between frozen and fresh salmon import quantities, insignificant exchange rate pass-through effects, and strong seasonal factors affecting salmon import quantity. In addition, the import price elasticity of fresh salmon is slightly larger than one, and the income elasticity is 1.33. We conclude that salmon has already become an important item for Taiwanese consumers, representing a case of globalization and liberalization. By explicating attributes of emerging seafood markets, this analysis will support stakeholders to formulate seafood trade policies and marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The impact of the EU (European Union) Generalized System of Preference (GSP) on the relative EU's demand for seafood quality was evaluated in the study. We first explored the theoretical Alchian–Allen result of change in ad valorem tariffs in an n–good world, and then tested this result in the empirical study. The theoretical analysis suggests that whether a reduced ad valorem tariff in an n–good case raises the relative demand for high-value goods depends not only on the substitutability between high-value and low-value goods but also on the substitutability between these similar goods with their weak substitutes. In the empirical sections, we first estimated the elasticities of the substitutions and then used these elasticities to evaluate the quality composition of the EU's seafood imports from the beneficiary countries. The empirical results in general confirm the occurrence of 'shipping the good fish out' due to the reduced tariff rates under the EU's GSP arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seafood sector can contribute to the global food supply in an important way, and provide an important source of animal protein. Based on observed regional trends in seafood production and consumption and using a global, partial-equilibrium, multi-market model, this study investigates what the global seafood market may look like in 2030. The model projects that the total fish supply will increase from 154 million tons in 2011 to 186 million tons in 2030, with aquaculture entirely responsible for the increase. The fastest aquaculture growth is expected for tilapia and shrimp, while the largest expansion is expected in India, Latin America and Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Fast-growing seafood demand in China and elsewhere represents a critical opportunity for global fisheries and aquaculture to improve their management and achieve sustainable seafood economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we attempt to evaluate China's impact on global seafood trade. The estimated export similarity and relative price indices indicate structural change in the observed global seafood trade patterns. Accordingly, the inverse Almost Ideal Demand System model with a transition function is applied. The estimated demand flexibility indicates a rising substitutability between seafood products from China and other developing countries. By contrast, China's expansion has a less negative influence on the prices of seafood products from developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent supply shocks in the Gulf of Mexico--including hurricanes, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the seasonal appearance of a large dead zone of low oxygen water (hypoxia)--have raised concerns about the economic viability of the U.S. shrimp fishery. The ability of U.S. shrimpers to mediate supply shocks through increased prices hinges on the degree of market integration, both among shrimp of different sizes classes and between U.S. wild caught shrimp and imported farmed shrimp. We use detailed data on shrimp prices by size class and import prices to conduct a co-integration analysis of market integration in the shrimp industry. We find significant evidence of market integration, suggesting that the law of one price holds for this industry. Hence, in the face of a supply shocks, prices do not rise; instead, imports of foreign farmed fish increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sustainability related certifications and messaging have emerged as an important driver to channel the demands of consumers, institutions, and lead firms. This study investigates which logos, certifications, and claims were presented at the exhibitor booths within five seafood trade shows in China, Europe, and USA. The results indicate a difference in the way seafood is advertised. Messaging at the Chinese shows had less of an emphasis on sustainability compared to that in Europe and the USA, but placed a greater emphasis on food safety and quality than on environmental concerns. These findings suggest cultural differences in the way seafood production and consumption is communicated through B2B messaging. Traders often act as choice editors for final consumers. Therefore, it is essential to convey production processes and sustainability issues between traders and the market. An understanding of culture, messaging strategies, and interpretation could support better communication of product characteristics such as sustainability between producers, traders, and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the dried seafood trade, centred in Chinese markets, in order to better understand the pressures its demand exerts on global marine resource stocks. Using Hong Kong, the region's largest entrepôt, as a focal point, the trade in shark fins, abalone, bêche-de-mer and dried fish is characterized in terms of product history, volume, source fisheries and species composition. Trends identified in the Hong Kong market are interpreted in the context of the larger Chinese market. Shark fin imports grew 6% per year between 1991 and 2000, most likely because of market expansion in Mainland China, posing increasingly greater pressures on global shark resources. In contrast, the quantities of dried abalone traded through Hong Kong remained steady, but inferences based on this trend are discouraged by suggestions of increasing preferences for fresh product forms and growing domestic production in Mainland China. Hong Kong's imports of dried bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber) have decreased, while the percentage of imports re-exported has remained steady, suggesting that Hong Kong continues as an entrepôt for Mainland China despite declining domestic consumption. Few conclusions can be drawn regarding dried fish products, including whole fish and fish maws, because of a lack of product differentiation in customs data, but a market survey was conducted to provide information on species composition. Comparison of Hong Kong dried seafood trade statistics to those of other key trading partners indicates that, in general, Hong Kong's duty-free status appears to encourage more accurate reporting of traded quantities. Under-reporting biases ranged from 24 to 49% for shark fin and bêche-de-mer, respectively. Comparison to United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) databases indicates additional under-reporting for shark fin such that an alternative minimum estimate of world trade is at least twice the FAO estimates in 1998–2000. The results of a survey of Hong Kong traders provide insight into their attitudes toward harvest, economic and regulatory factors, and suggest that conservation efforts are unlikely to emerge from, or be actively supported by, dried seafood trade organizations. The market's apparent sensitivity to economic sentiment, however, reveals an opportunity for consumer education to play a role in shaping future market growth and resource conservation. Recommendations are provided for improving trade statistics and for developing better analytical techniques to complement traditional methods for monitoring the exploitation and management of fisheries resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National rates of aquatic food consumption in Pacific Island Countries and Territories are among the highest in the world, yet the region is suffering from extensive levels of diet-related ill health. The aim of this paper is to examine the variation in consumption patterns and in nutrient composition of aquatic foods in the Pacific, to help improve understanding of their contribution to food and nutrition security. For this examination we analysed nutrient composition data and trade data from two novel region-specific databases, as well as consumption data from national and village level surveys for two Melanesian case studies, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Results demonstrated that consumption depends on availability and the amount and type of aquatic food consumed, and its contribution to nutrition security varies within different geographic and socio-demographic contexts. More data is needed on locally relevant species and consumption patterns, to better inform dietary guidelines and improve public health both now and into the future. Advice on aquatic food consumption must consider the nutrient composition and quantity of products consumed, as well as accessibility through local food systems, to ensure they contribute to diverse and healthy diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]