Fish as food: examining a place for fish in Newfoundland's alternative food networks

Abstract

Alternative food networks have been developed to reexamine and challenge the conventional globalized food system by emphasizing localized and alternate ways of producing, distributing, consuming, and thinking about food. In Canada, the idea has taken off in the agricultural sector, with the promotion of farmers markets, community-supported agriculture and local food movements. For the most part, the inclusion of fish in such networks has been limited because fish, and the fisheries, are valued more for their role as an export commodity than for their contributions to livelihoods, culture and the local food system. This absence is particularly striking in Newfoundland where fisheries are historically and culturally significant. The current export-oriented structure presents a major concern to local food security and sustainability, as well as to the viability of small-scale fishing communities. By means of the interactive governance perspective, this thesis examines the values and principles that shape emerging alternative food systems in Newfoundland’s fisheries, including a seafood traceability project and fisheries education initiatives. Specifically, through in-depth interviews with fisheries stakeholders, the study identified significant opportunities by enhancing the relationships between actors along the fisheries supply chain, and examined the ‘alterity’ of these initiatives in contrast to conventional market practices.