Post-Harvest Loss Management in Fisheries
Summary
Post-harvest loss management in fisheries encompasses the strategies and practices aimed at minimising quantitative and qualitative losses of fish and seafood products between the point of capture and the point of consumption. Owing to the highly perishable nature of fish, losses may occur through spoilage, physical damage, drip loss and deterioration of organoleptic quality. These losses undermine food security, reduce income for fishers and processors, and compromise resource efficiency. Effective management integrates low-cost preservation techniques such as icing, chilling and solar drying with higher-technology approaches including refrigerated supply chains, rapid cooling systems and modified-atmosphere packaging. Social and institutional dimensions—collective action among fishers, development of cooperatives, gender-sensitive value-chain interventions and capacity building—are equally crucial. Cross-sector collaboration involving local communities, government bodies, non-governmental organisations and research institutions underpins policy formulation, infrastructure investment and training programmes. In aggregate, these measures seek to enhance product shelf life, secure livelihoods in small-scale and artisanal fisheries, and contribute to sustainable utilisation of aquatic resources worldwide.
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Post-Harvest Loss Management in Fisheries publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in post-harvest loss management in fisheries across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Post-harvest loss: The reduction in quantity or quality of fish products between harvest and consumption due to spoilage, damage or handling inefficiencies.
Value chain: The full sequence of activities and actors—fishers, processors, transporters and retailers—involved in bringing fish from catch to consumer.
Cooperative venture: A collective organisational model in which fishers or processors pool resources and share risks to improve access to preservation technologies and markets.
Mushy Tuna Syndrome: A quality defect in tuna characterised by soft, pasty flesh that renders the product unsuitable for canning or sale.
Drip loss: The loss of liquid exudate from fish muscle during storage, which can accelerate microbial growth and reduce weight and quality.
References
- Is Mushy Tuna Syndrome a Growing Problem for the Tuna Industry?. Foods (2023).
- Does fishing venture matter for reducing post-harvest loss? Empirical evidence from Bangladesh. Aquaculture and Fisheries (2024).
- An assessment of Post-Harvest Fish Losses (PHFLs) in the artisanal fishery of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Scientific African (2022).
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