A Global Estimate of Seafood Consumption by Coastal Indigenous Peoples

Abstract

Coastal Indigenous peoples rely on ocean resources and are highly vulnerable to ecosystem and economic change. Their challenges have been observed and recognized at local and regional scales, yet there are no global-scale analyses to inform international policies. We compile available data for over 1,900 coastal Indigenous communities around the world representing 27 million people across 87 countries. Based on available data at local and regional levels, we estimate a total global yearly seafood consumption of 2.1 million (1.5 million-2.8 million) metric tonnes by coastal Indigenous peoples, equal to around 2% of global yearly commercial fisheries catch. Results reflect the crucial role of seafood for these communities; on average, consumption per capita is 15 times higher than non-Indigenous country populations. These findings contribute to an urgently needed sense of scale to coastal Indigenous issues, and will hopefully prompt increased recognition and directed research regarding the marine knowledge and resource needs of Indigenous peoples. Marine resources are crucial to the continued existence of coastal Indigenous peoples, and their needs must be explicitly incorporated into management policies.

Fig 1. Definition of “coastal Indigenous people” study unit.

Only for the purposes of this analysis, a Coastal Indigenous People (CIP) is a recognized or self-identified ethnic minority (or Small Island Developing State) community or group residing on a marine coast.

Fig 2. Locations of coastal Indigenous peoples (community or group-level) included in the database.

Colors denote the amount of data available for each CIP (i.e., location, population, seafood consumption rate).

Fig 3. Consumption per capita for Indigenous groups by global subregion.

Values are average over all CIPs in each subregion, including both primary and estimated data. Global mean consumption per capita (dashed line) is for world population based on FAO data [60].

Fig 4. Estimated total global Indigenous food consumption given initial data used.

For each of 5,000 model runs (points), each model iteration randomly omits 10% of initial (observed) data points. Grey area is the confidence bound for each model estimation. Dashed lines show mean (2.1 million tonnes), lower (1.5 million tonnes), and upper (2.8 million tonnes) consumption estimates averaged over all iterations.

Fig 5. Seafood consumption (tonnes per year) by coastal Indigenous peoples.

Values for individual CIPs are summed by Exclusive Economic Zones.

Fig 6. Marine fish consumption per capita (kg·year^-1) by coastal Indigenous peoples.

Values for individual CIPs are averaged by Exclusive Economic Zone.