Islands offer unique model systems for studying
fisheries development in relation to the growing
... more Islands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the growing global seafood trade. This study examines how export-driven fisheries in India’s oceanic islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied history, culture, available infrastructure and market access. Despite being geographically closer to export centres on the Indian mainland, processing and transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands are limited. This only allows for the trade of nonperishable commodities like dried tuna that are caught using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques, restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily flight connections and large private and government processing facilities, are better connected to export markets. The relatively recent and multicultural fisheries of these islands supply marine commodity chains for reef fishery goods such as dried shark fins, frozen snapper fillets and chilled groupers. The Nicobar Islands are furthest away from mainland export centres and are mostly populated by indigenous communities – fishing here is mostly for subsistence and local sale. Revised estimates of travel times to export market centres are counterintuitive in terms of geographical distances and are significantly different from travel times to local markets.
There are numerous examples of no-take marine reserves effectively conserving fish stocks within ... more There are numerous examples of no-take marine reserves effectively conserving fish stocks within their boundaries. However, no-take reserves can be rendered ineffective and turned into 'paper parks' through poor compliance and weak enforcement of reserve regulations. Long-term monitoring is thus essential to assess the effectiveness of marine reserves in meeting conservation and management objectives. This study documents the present state of the 15-year old no-take zone (NTZ) of South El Ghargana within the Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area, South Sinai, Egyptian Red Sea. Previous studies credited willing compliance by the local fishing community for the increased abundances of targeted fish within the designated NTZ boundaries compared to adjacent fished or take-zones. We compared benthic habitat and fish abundance within the NTZ and the adjacent take sites open to fishing, but found no significant effect of the reserve. Instead, the strongest evidence was for a simple ...
We studied the fish fauna of Raigad District for two years from August 2008 to August 2010. Sixty... more We studied the fish fauna of Raigad District for two years from August 2008 to August 2010. Sixty six freshwater and secondary freshwater fish species belonging to 31 families and 53 genera were collected from various sampling sites and local markets along the banks of Patalganga, Bhogawati, Amba, Kundalika, Mandad and Savitri river systems present in Raigad District, Maharashtra, northern Western Ghats. Cyprinids were the most dominant group represented by 22 fish species belonging to 13 genera followed by the loaches, croakers and gobies belonging to the family Balitoridae, Sciaenidae and Gobiidae respectively (three species from each family). Of the 66 fish species, five belong to the Vulnerable (VU), four to Near Threatened (NT), 37 to the Least Concern (LC) category and 20 were found to be not evaluated for IUCN Red List criteria. Raigad District is under severe threat of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Further, introduced exotic fish species are becoming a major threat to the indigenous fish fauna of Raigad District. Implementation of ecosystem based adaptation plans and conservation measures are necessary to protect the diverse, endemic and threatened fish fauna of Raigad District.
in collaboration with Dakshin Foundation and Andaman and Nicobar Island Environmental Team (ANET)... more in collaboration with Dakshin Foundation and Andaman and Nicobar Island Environmental Team (ANET), has been monitoring the nesting and movement of leatherback turtles of Little Andaman Island since January 2008. While this work contributed signifi cantly to our knowledge of this species, there was a need to undertake parallel conservation eff orts directed at the conservation of the species and their habitats. Various government ministries, departments, institutions and organisations have similar jurisdictions, mandates, responsibilities and roles that contribute to eff ective management and sustainable utilisation of the coastal and marine resources of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While some of these mandates are in confl ict with each other, many overlap, invariably leading to duplication of eff orts or inadequate cooperation between departments. Th is necessitates greater interaction between diff erent departments, organisations and institutions in the islands. More oft en th...
A scoping review of the role of seafood market intermediaries in connecting small-scale fisheries... more A scoping review of the role of seafood market intermediaries in connecting small-scale fisheries and consumers
The COVID-19 pandemic and response has significantly disrupted fishery supply chains, creating sh... more The COVID-19 pandemic and response has significantly disrupted fishery supply chains, creating shortages of essential foods and constraining livelihoods globally. Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) are responding to the pandemic in a variety of ways. Together, disruptions from and responses to COVID-19 illuminate existing vulnerabilities in the fish distribution paradigm and possible means of reducing system and actor sensitivity and exposure and increasing adaptive capacity. Integrating concepts from literature on supply chain disruptions, social-ecological systems, human wellbeing, vulnerability, and SSFs, we synthesize preliminary lessons from six case studies from Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Canada, and the United States. The SSF supply chains examined employ different distribution strategies and operate in different geographic, political, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Specifically, we ask (a) how resilient have different SSF supply chains been to COVID-19 impacts; (b...
SUMMARYIslands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the g... more SUMMARYIslands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the growing global seafood trade. This study examines how export-driven fisheries in India's oceanic islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied history, culture, available infrastructure and market access. Despite being geographically closer to export centres on the Indian mainland, processing and transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands are limited. This only allows for the trade of non-perishable commodities like dried tuna that are caught using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques, restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily flight connections and large private and government processing facilities, are better connected to export markets. The relatively recent and multicultural fisheries of th...
Islands offer unique model systems for studying
fisheries development in relation to the growing
... more Islands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the growing global seafood trade. This study examines how export-driven fisheries in India’s oceanic islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied history, culture, available infrastructure and market access. Despite being geographically closer to export centres on the Indian mainland, processing and transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands are limited. This only allows for the trade of nonperishable commodities like dried tuna that are caught using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques, restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily flight connections and large private and government processing facilities, are better connected to export markets. The relatively recent and multicultural fisheries of these islands supply marine commodity chains for reef fishery goods such as dried shark fins, frozen snapper fillets and chilled groupers. The Nicobar Islands are furthest away from mainland export centres and are mostly populated by indigenous communities – fishing here is mostly for subsistence and local sale. Revised estimates of travel times to export market centres are counterintuitive in terms of geographical distances and are significantly different from travel times to local markets.
There are numerous examples of no-take marine reserves effectively conserving fish stocks within ... more There are numerous examples of no-take marine reserves effectively conserving fish stocks within their boundaries. However, no-take reserves can be rendered ineffective and turned into 'paper parks' through poor compliance and weak enforcement of reserve regulations. Long-term monitoring is thus essential to assess the effectiveness of marine reserves in meeting conservation and management objectives. This study documents the present state of the 15-year old no-take zone (NTZ) of South El Ghargana within the Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area, South Sinai, Egyptian Red Sea. Previous studies credited willing compliance by the local fishing community for the increased abundances of targeted fish within the designated NTZ boundaries compared to adjacent fished or take-zones. We compared benthic habitat and fish abundance within the NTZ and the adjacent take sites open to fishing, but found no significant effect of the reserve. Instead, the strongest evidence was for a simple ...
We studied the fish fauna of Raigad District for two years from August 2008 to August 2010. Sixty... more We studied the fish fauna of Raigad District for two years from August 2008 to August 2010. Sixty six freshwater and secondary freshwater fish species belonging to 31 families and 53 genera were collected from various sampling sites and local markets along the banks of Patalganga, Bhogawati, Amba, Kundalika, Mandad and Savitri river systems present in Raigad District, Maharashtra, northern Western Ghats. Cyprinids were the most dominant group represented by 22 fish species belonging to 13 genera followed by the loaches, croakers and gobies belonging to the family Balitoridae, Sciaenidae and Gobiidae respectively (three species from each family). Of the 66 fish species, five belong to the Vulnerable (VU), four to Near Threatened (NT), 37 to the Least Concern (LC) category and 20 were found to be not evaluated for IUCN Red List criteria. Raigad District is under severe threat of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Further, introduced exotic fish species are becoming a major threat to the indigenous fish fauna of Raigad District. Implementation of ecosystem based adaptation plans and conservation measures are necessary to protect the diverse, endemic and threatened fish fauna of Raigad District.
in collaboration with Dakshin Foundation and Andaman and Nicobar Island Environmental Team (ANET)... more in collaboration with Dakshin Foundation and Andaman and Nicobar Island Environmental Team (ANET), has been monitoring the nesting and movement of leatherback turtles of Little Andaman Island since January 2008. While this work contributed signifi cantly to our knowledge of this species, there was a need to undertake parallel conservation eff orts directed at the conservation of the species and their habitats. Various government ministries, departments, institutions and organisations have similar jurisdictions, mandates, responsibilities and roles that contribute to eff ective management and sustainable utilisation of the coastal and marine resources of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While some of these mandates are in confl ict with each other, many overlap, invariably leading to duplication of eff orts or inadequate cooperation between departments. Th is necessitates greater interaction between diff erent departments, organisations and institutions in the islands. More oft en th...
A scoping review of the role of seafood market intermediaries in connecting small-scale fisheries... more A scoping review of the role of seafood market intermediaries in connecting small-scale fisheries and consumers
The COVID-19 pandemic and response has significantly disrupted fishery supply chains, creating sh... more The COVID-19 pandemic and response has significantly disrupted fishery supply chains, creating shortages of essential foods and constraining livelihoods globally. Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) are responding to the pandemic in a variety of ways. Together, disruptions from and responses to COVID-19 illuminate existing vulnerabilities in the fish distribution paradigm and possible means of reducing system and actor sensitivity and exposure and increasing adaptive capacity. Integrating concepts from literature on supply chain disruptions, social-ecological systems, human wellbeing, vulnerability, and SSFs, we synthesize preliminary lessons from six case studies from Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Canada, and the United States. The SSF supply chains examined employ different distribution strategies and operate in different geographic, political, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Specifically, we ask (a) how resilient have different SSF supply chains been to COVID-19 impacts; (b...
SUMMARYIslands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the g... more SUMMARYIslands offer unique model systems for studying fisheries development in relation to the growing global seafood trade. This study examines how export-driven fisheries in India's oceanic islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied history, culture, available infrastructure and market access. Despite being geographically closer to export centres on the Indian mainland, processing and transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands are limited. This only allows for the trade of non-perishable commodities like dried tuna that are caught using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques, restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily flight connections and large private and government processing facilities, are better connected to export markets. The relatively recent and multicultural fisheries of th...
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Peer-reviewed Publications by Sahir Advani
fisheries development in relation to the growing
global seafood trade. This study examines how
export-driven fisheries in India’s oceanic islands
(Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep
Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied
history, culture, available infrastructure and market
access. Despite being geographically closer to export
centres on the Indian mainland, processing and
transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands
are limited. This only allows for the trade of nonperishable
commodities like dried tuna that are caught
using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques,
restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based
consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman
Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily
flight connections and large private and government
processing facilities, are better connected to export
markets. The relatively recent and multicultural
fisheries of these islands supply marine commodity
chains for reef fishery goods such as dried shark
fins, frozen snapper fillets and chilled groupers. The
Nicobar Islands are furthest away from mainland
export centres and are mostly populated by indigenous
communities – fishing here is mostly for subsistence
and local sale. Revised estimates of travel times to
export market centres are counterintuitive in terms of
geographical distances and are significantly different
from travel times to local markets.
Reports by Sahir Advani
Papers by Sahir Advani
fisheries development in relation to the growing
global seafood trade. This study examines how
export-driven fisheries in India’s oceanic islands
(Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep
Islands) differ significantly as a result of their varied
history, culture, available infrastructure and market
access. Despite being geographically closer to export
centres on the Indian mainland, processing and
transport infrastructure in the Lakshadweep Islands
are limited. This only allows for the trade of nonperishable
commodities like dried tuna that are caught
using traditional pole-and-line fishing techniques,
restricting reef exploitation to local preference-based
consumption and opportunistic export. The Andaman
Islands, on the other hand, with multiple daily
flight connections and large private and government
processing facilities, are better connected to export
markets. The relatively recent and multicultural
fisheries of these islands supply marine commodity
chains for reef fishery goods such as dried shark
fins, frozen snapper fillets and chilled groupers. The
Nicobar Islands are furthest away from mainland
export centres and are mostly populated by indigenous
communities – fishing here is mostly for subsistence
and local sale. Revised estimates of travel times to
export market centres are counterintuitive in terms of
geographical distances and are significantly different
from travel times to local markets.