June 18, 2021 — A treasure trove of vital nutritional data about fish species is being made freely available and accessible globally—plugging a knowledge gap that will bolster efforts to tackle malnutrition across the world.
Despite fish being an essential component in the diet of more than 3 billion people around the world, and an essential source of micronutrients for over a billion people in low-income countries, many of these populations lose their very nutritious fish through exports and foreign fishing and, in turn, import lower-quality fish and fish products, creating a net loss of essential nutrients.
In fact, up to 70% of fish caught in the fishing zones along the coasts of African nations such as Namibia and Mauritania are exported or monopolized by wealthier foreign nations.
This is in part due to a traditional view of fish perceived primarily as a source of protein, with less consideration given to the micronutrient composition of different fish species—a perception rooted in a lack of available nutritional knowledge. For example, very small species can often be very nutritious—but because they are not protected for their local food security potential, they are exported and processed into products such as fishmeal animal feeds.