Exported and retained micronutrients from Indian Ocean fisheries

Seafood is a vital source of micronutrients in the Indian Ocean region, a place where nutritional security is highly variable among individual countries. Here, there is an urgent need to address nutritional security and promote equitable distribution of marine resources, but little is known about seafood-derived micronutrients distribution. This study analyses seafood trade dynamics in the Indian Ocean from 2016 to 2019 to determine how they influence the region’s role in global and regional nutritional security. We leverage the Aquatic Resources Trade in Species database and integrate it with nutritional data from the Aquatic Foods Composition Database to quantify the sources and distribution of seven seafood-derived micronutrients, disaggregating by 15 taxonomic groups. We found that 12% of the total edible micronutrient supply caught by Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries in the Indian Ocean is exported out of the region, while the remainder stays within the region, either traded between IOR countries (7% of the total micronutrient supply), or retained domestically (81%). Yet the proportions retained or exported differ markedly among countries, with Bangladesh retaining over 95% of the micronutrients from its large catches, while the Maldives exports up to 86% of its micronutrient supply. IOR countries with severe rates of inadequate micronutrient intake and low to medium human development index (HDI) supply 40%–60% of total micronutrient exports respectively. These micronutrients flow primarily to populations that experience comparatively less severe levels of inadequate micronutrient intake and to high and very high HDI countries, both out of and within the region, highlighting potential nutritional inequities. This study characterizes how trade distributes seafood micronutrients sourced at the ocean basin scale and provides a foundation for future assessments of nutritional security and trade-offs in the region, supporting ongoing discussions on sustainable and equitable use of marine resources.