Publications by authors named "Christina C Hicks"

This article proposes the case of Kenyan coastal fisheries as a potentially crucial reservoir of food-related benefits for the marginalised and those living in poverty, but where a food-centred lens or approach is seldom mainstreamed in local and national governance. Borrowing insights from post-structuralist marine social sciences, this article presents an ethnographic account of grassroots practices in-the-making such as handling, sorting, and allocating fish once caught, and how these practices lead to local categorisations and classifications of fish. This sort of evidence and knowledge around local categorisations and classifications of fish spotlights the importance of considering the post-harvest sector (as opposed to the activity of fishing alone), that is, how the use of catch determines access through micro relations of power and agency.

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Sustainable development aspires to "leave no one behind". Even so, limited attention has been paid to small-scale fisheries (SSF) and their importance in eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Through a collaborative and multidimensional data-driven approach, we have estimated that SSF provide at least 40% (37.

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Coral reefs support an incredible abundance and diversity of fish species, with reef-associated fisheries providing important sources of income, food, and dietary micronutrients to millions of people across the tropics. However, the rapid degradation of the world's coral reefs and the decline in their biodiversity may limit their capacity to supply nutritious and affordable seafood while meeting conservation goals for sustainability. Here, we conduct a global-scale analysis of how the nutritional quality of reef fish assemblages (nutritional contribution to the recommended daily intake of calcium, iron, and zinc contained in an average 100 g fish on the reef) relates to key environmental, socioeconomic, and ecological conditions, including two key metrics of fish biodiversity.

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Article Synopsis
  • A healthy ocean significantly contributes to human well-being by providing essential resources like medicines, food, and recreational opportunities, but its benefits are often overlooked.
  • Climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and social inequities pose serious threats to both ocean health and human health.
  • To harness the ocean's health benefits sustainably, there must be a focus on equitable partnerships, enforcement of laws, and attention to human rights, social justice, and sustainability, with the healthcare sector playing a key role in this initiative.
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Seafood is an important source of bioavailable micronutrients supporting human health, yet it is unclear how micronutrient production has changed in the past or how climate change will influence its availability. Here combining reconstructed fisheries databases and predictive models, we assess nutrient availability from fisheries and mariculture in the past and project their futures under climate change. Since the 1990s, availabilities of iron, calcium and omega-3 from seafood for direct human consumption have increased but stagnated for protein.

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Coral reef fisheries supply nutritious catch to tropical coastal communities, where the quality of reef seafood is determined by both the rate of biomass production and nutritional value of reef fishes. Yet our understanding of reef fisheries typically uses targets of total reef fish biomass rather than individual growth (i.e.

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Wild-caught fish provide an irreplaceable source of essential nutrients in food-insecure places. Fishers catch thousands of species, yet the diversity of aquatic foods is often categorized homogeneously as 'fish', obscuring an understanding of which species supply affordable, nutritious and abundant food. Here, we use catch, economic and nutrient data on 2,348 species to identify the most affordable and nutritious fish in 39 low- and middle-income countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • Injustices in food systems lead to a situation where a small number of individuals accumulate great wealth while around one in ten people experience hunger across 194 countries.
  • Research using Bayesian models highlights that economic and political barriers limit both wealth and food production, with a lack of education and accountability contributing to these disparities.
  • The analysis of policy documents shows a consistent neglect of political and gender inequalities, although effective policies promoting equitable food systems emphasize human rights, inclusive decision-making, and challenge systemic injustices.
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  • * A study called the Blue Food Assessment looked at how blue foods affect nutrition, the environment, economy, and fairness, creating four goals to help countries use blue foods in their food systems.
  • * The goals aim to improve nutrition, offer healthier options than land meats, reduce environmental harm from diets, and support communities facing climate change, paying attention to what's best for different countries and cultures.
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  • Coral reef fisheries face sustainability threats from social and ecological challenges, mainly driven by climate change, which impacts their role in food and nutrition security.
  • Warming oceans may change fish nutrient levels through both direct effects (like metabolism) and indirect effects (such as shifts in habitats and species distributions).
  • Future research should focus on evaluating not just the quantity of fish available but also their nutritional quality, using biological traits to predict how climate impacts nutrient availability in coral reef food webs.
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  • Wild-caught fish can significantly improve the diet quality of billions if managed correctly, but nutritional aspects have often been overlooked in fisheries policies.
  • The concept of multispecies Maximum Nutrient Yield (mMNY) is proposed to optimize nutrient production while balancing catch levels and species vulnerability in fisheries.
  • Analysis indicates that enhancing nutrient yields, particularly for crucial vitamins like D, can support food security by integrating nutritional goals into existing fisheries management strategies.
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  • Fish are crucial for providing essential nutrients and fatty acids, helping to reduce dietary deficiencies globally.
  • Research indicates that foreign fishing activities contribute more nutrients to nutrient-secure countries compared to international fish trade, with both practices benefiting these nations disproportionately.
  • To effectively tackle nutrient deficiencies, it's essential to prioritize nutritional goals in fisheries licensing and trade discussions, especially considering the vulnerabilities of certain nations due to climate change impacts.
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  • Climate change is altering coral reefs, which affects the availability of essential micronutrients from small-scale fisheries for coastal communities.
  • A study in Seychelles reveals that reef fish are significant sources of selenium and zinc, with nutrient levels similar to other animal-source foods.
  • Experimental fishing shows that, despite climate impacts, sustainable management of coral reef fisheries can maintain their role in providing vital nutrients like iron and zinc, even after coral bleaching events.
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  • * The study analyzed disruptions in the seafood supply chain from January to May 2020, using a resilience framework to assess the varying impacts on different market segments and actors.
  • * Key findings suggest that some groups have demonstrated resilience, while others are vulnerable, leading to recommendations for adaptive strategies and research to enhance future resilience in the seafood sector.
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  • Coral reefs are increasingly being replaced by macroalgae due to climate change, altering the ecosystem dynamics.
  • A study analyzing gut bacteria in 99 fish across 36 species in Seychelles found that while fish gut diversity remained unchanged, the composition of bacteria varied significantly, especially in herbivorous fish.
  • The shift to macroalgae led to an increase in fermentative bacteria, suggesting that these ecosystem changes could impact overall reef health and function through microbial processes.
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  • * A study assessed the micronutrient content and vulnerability of marine fish species across 157 countries, revealing that tropical fish can better withstand both climate change and overfishing impacts compared to other species.
  • * The analysis shows that countries with a high rate of inadequate micronutrient intake have nutrient-dense fish catches but are also more vulnerable to climate impacts, emphasizing the need for integrated fisheries and climate policies to ensure food security.
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Many conservation interventions are hypothesized to be beneficial for both the environment and people's well-being, but this has rarely been tested rigorously. We examined the effects of adoption or nonadoption of a conservation intervention on 3 dimensions of people's well-being (material, relational, and subjective) over time. We focused on a fisheries bycatch management initiative intended to reduce environmental externalities associated with resource extraction.

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The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this 'fish as food' perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities.

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Conservation is likely to be most successful if it draws on knowledge from across the natural and social sciences. The ecosystem services concept has been called a boundary object in that it facilitates development of such interdisciplinary knowledge because it offers a common platform for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. However, a question that remains is to what extent the interdisciplinary knowledge needed is provided by disciplinary diversity within the field.

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Many islands are biodiversity hotspots but also extinction epicenters. In addition to strong cultural connections to nature, islanders derive a significant part of their economy and broader wellbeing from this biodiversity. Islands are thus considered as the socio-ecosystems most vulnerable to species and habitat loss.

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The worldwide decline of coral reefs necessitates targeting management solutions that can sustain reefs and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them. However, little is known about the context in which different reef management tools can help to achieve multiple social and ecological goals. Because of nonlinearities in the likelihood of achieving combined fisheries, ecological function, and biodiversity goals along a gradient of human pressure, relatively small changes in the context in which management is implemented could have substantial impacts on whether these goals are likely to be met.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies, thereby achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6. An effective agreement should be viewed as an opportunity for nations to proactively transition towards sustainable and equitable fisheries and pave the path for other SDGs.

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  • * Fish are a vital source of essential nutrients but are often overlooked; understanding their nutrient composition could help address food and nutrition security issues.
  • * The study reveals that specific environmental conditions and fish species characteristics influence nutrient levels, indicating that enhancing fish-based food strategies could greatly benefit populations with inadequate nutrient intake, particularly children.
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