Developing Local Sustainable Seafood Markets: A Thai Example

Abstract

Increasingawareness of degradation in ocean ecologies and fisheries has made seafood a leading edge in the green marketing movement, with most major buyers in the global North committing to buying seafood that has been certified as sustainable. But what about the significant and growing Asian markets, where seafood has become a healthy and prestigious food choice among wealthier consumers? Is it possible to develop a market for sustainably produced seafood among Asian consumers motivated by civil and ecological concerns? To address these questions our research traces how a Thai Fisherfolk Shop, located 4 hours to the south of Bangkok, has worked to develop an alternative market for seafood caught by local, small‐scale fishers. Although we find that there is a mismatch between the volume of aquatic species that fishers catch, the ability of the Shop to process, store, and sell seafood, and consumer demand, our analysis suggests that it is possible to create a market for small‐scale, sustainably sourced seafood in Thailand.