Inland fisheries are a major source of food and food security throughout the Asian region, but are often overlooked in national statistics and in considerations of food security. Eleven countries in the Asian region produce 65.5 percent of global fish catch from inland fisheries but the quality of reporting of inland fishery is rather poor, preventing effective analysis. Inland fisheries form a vital part of some rural people's livelihoods and contributes a major source of protein, especially for vulnerable populations. For statistical purposes however, these fish are all but invisible in official production figures. Consumption of fish is however picked up by national household surveys. Carried out on a regular basis and to a high level of statistical accuracy, such surveys provide a wealth of information about consumption patterns and habits. This data can play a vital role in the development of fisheries and natural resource policies that may have considerable impact on the most vulnerable segments of the population. Based on a review of fish and fish product consumption derived from national households consumption and expenditure surveys, this presentation reviews some of the results and their implications for the use of this type of national household consumption and expenditure surveys for improving our understanding how inland fisheries and fish consumption. The presentation also covers some of the weaknesses in the approach and how these may be improved to provide far more effective information in support of understanding inland fisheries and its role in food security.

1. Understanding inland fisheries production using
household consumption and expenditure surveys
Simon Funge-Smith
Secretary, Asia-Pacific fishery Commission (APFIC)
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

2. We know inland fisheries are
important in some Asian
countries
• Inland fisheries a source of food and
food security throughout the Asian
region
– 9 Asian countries in top 16 inland
fisheries producers
– 11 Asian countries produce 65.5 % of
reported global inland fisheries
production
• Often overlooked
– national statistics
– considerations of food security
• Inland fisheries are a vital part of
some rural people's livelihoods
– a major nutritional role
– especially for vulnerable populations
Roadside sale of
dried fish
Lao PDR

3. Inland statistics and valuations
are weak
• Monitoring of inland fisheries remains
rather poor
• Many countries reports are estimates,
not based on actual measures of
production
– unreliable statistics
– reduces confidence in the data
– prevents effective analysis at the sub-
national level
• Often an assumption that production is
homogeneous
• Actually highly variable sub-nationally
– downscaling important for assessing
importance, role and vulnerabilities
– as well as potential impacts
• Leads to mis-directed or uninformed
policy
Fermented
fish “ngapi”
Myanmar

4. Household consumption and
expenditure surveys
• Consumption of fish can be picked
up by national household surveys
– statistically significant
– conducted regularly
– high level of statistical accuracy
• Can be “triangulated” with other
data
– production/trade stats
– population census
– agricultural census Tonle Sap
flooded village
Cambodia

5. Surveys provide idea of
sub-national variability
• Provide detail on consumption
patterns and habits
– detail on commodities and food
types consumed and purchased
– contribution of fish to total protein
consumption
• Downscaled information by
– district/province/region
– urban rural
– by income bands
• Can inform fisheries and natural
resource policies
– that impact vulnerable segments of
the population
– fishery dependent areas Water snail dredging
Tonle Sap, Cambodia

6. 0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1950 1970 1990 2010
Example - validating inland
production in Myanmar
• Large annual increases in reported
inland capture production
– 389 percent over a decade
– “recognition of historic under-
estimation”
– no statistical basis for annual increases?
– no natural inter-annual variation
• Potential to validate with household
consumption survey?
– 75% of fish from inland or estuarine
waters
– majority from capture fisheries.
– inland capture fisheries ~750,000 tonnes
• Reported production over-estimated?
– household consumption surveys often
under-estimate consumption….
• But..unlikley to be 50% off?
750,000 tonnes

7. Example - Cambodia
• Massive inland fisheries
• Huge increases in late 1990’s
– Inclusion of “previously
unreported small scale
fisheries”
• Reported inland production
~450,000 tonnes
• Consumption surveys help
validate massively increased
production estimate…
– total national fish consumption
~890,344 tonnes
– 71% of fish from inland
– Inland ~630,000 tonnes
• So current reports may still
be under-estimates!
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
1975 1985 1995 2005 2015

8. Lao PDR - fishery or
aquaculture?
• Statistics reported to FAO indicate
– aquaculture provides 75% of fish
– inland capture fishery only 25% of
fish
• Household consumption survey
indicates source of fish, locations
– Aquaculture only 22%
– inland fisheries 88 %
• Fisheries probably grossly under
reported and undervalued
– dependency varies within country
– implications for water policy
• Consumption figures already
exceed national reported
production

9. India - inland fishery production estimates periodically
reset?
• 13 cases of inter-annual variations >20%
– Sometimes as much as 40%
• Not really explained by drought/flood years?
• “Resetting” by national statistical reporters?
• Surveys may help validate production totals
– Reduce fluctuations
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

10. Consumption surveys have
limitations
• Can be frustrating
– Generally under-estimation?
• Recall is vulnerable to biases
• Distinguishing source of fish difficult
– Can be guessed or estimated by product
form or species
• Seasonal data may not capture highs
and lows
– surveys conducted in dry season for easy
access, may miss monsoon peak production
period
• May need some interpretation to
account for conversions
– under- over- estimation errors
– e.g. adjust for fresh weights of reported
dried and processed foods
Fish traps
Mekong river,
Lao PDR

11. Improving the value of surveys
• Getting the sampling and
questions right
– yields valuable additional
information on sources of products
– e.g. aquaculture, inland fishery,
marine fishery
– rule out seasonality
• May support indicative of proxy
estimates of inland fishery
production
– Important where inland fishery
production statistics are estimated
with little or no basis
Mixed wild &
stocked fish
Aquaculture

12. Summary
• Inland statistics are weak
– substantial heterogeneity in national production
– lack of understanding gives misleading policy
• Household consumption and expenditure
surveys
– can give excellent idea of sub-national
consumption of fish
– can validate erroneous production estimates
– can support indicative of proxy estimates of inland
fishery production
• Important where inland fishery production
statistics are estimated with little or no basis
• They do have weaknesses
– may be less good for splitting fishery/aquaculture
– need to account for wet weight conversions
• Getting the questions right reduces errors and
gives information on sources of production