Identifying Barriers and Pathways Linking Fish and Seafood to Food Security in Inuit Nunangat: A Scoping Review

Meghan Brockington; Dorothy Beale; Josephine Gaupholm; Angus Naylor; Tiff-Annie Kenny; Mélanie Lemire; Marianne Falardeau; Philip Loring; Jane Parmley; Matthew Little

doi:10.3390/ijerph20032629

Identifying Barriers and Pathways Linking Fish and Seafood to Food Security in Inuit Nunangat: A Scoping Review

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 1;20(3):2629. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032629.

Authors

Meghan Brockington¹, Dorothy Beale², Josephine Gaupholm¹, Angus Naylor², Tiff-Annie Kenny^{3

4

5}, Mélanie Lemire^{3

4

5}, Marianne Falardeau^{3

4

5

6

7}, Philip Loring¹, Jane Parmley¹, Matthew Little²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
² School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
³ Centre de Recherche CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
⁴ Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 5C3, Canada.
⁵ Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
⁶ Centre D'Études Nordiques (CEN), Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
⁷ Department de Biologie, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Fish and seafood play an important role in improving food security in Inuit Nunangat. Therefore, this scoping review aims to explore (1) what topics and/or themes have been widely explored in the literature related to barriers and pathways linking fish and seafood to food security; (2) where research, policy, and action gaps exist; and (3) how fisheries currently contribute to food security.

Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles was conducted using six databases. Articles were screened by two independent reviewers. Eligible studies included primary research conducted in Inuit Nunangat that explored the roles of fish and seafood in food security.

Results: Thirty-one articles were included for review. Overall, we found that fisheries can influence food security through direct pathways (e.g., consuming fish for nutrition), and through indirect pathways such as increasing household purchasing power (e.g., through employment). Research indicated that policies relating to wildlife and fisheries management need to be integrated with food and health policies to better address food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat.

Conclusion: Future research is needed to establish a more robust understanding of the explicit mechanisms that fish and seafood harvest and/or the participation in commercial fisheries alleviates household food insecurity.

Keywords: Arctic; Arctic Canada; fish; fisheries; food security; food sovereignty; seafood; wildlife management.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Fishes
Food Security
Food Supply*
Humans
Inuit*
Nutritional Status
Seafood

Grants and funding

This research was funded by ArcticNet project P74, ‘Moving from understanding to action on food security in the Canadian Arctic’ and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada Northern Contaminants Program project H-12, ‘Piujuit: Country food access and preferences’. Meghan Brockington is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Award, the Northern Scientific Training Program, and the University of Guelph, Population Medicine, OVC Doctoral Award. Matthew Little receives funding through a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Award. Philip Loring is funded in part by the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. Mélanie Lemire is a member of Quebec Océan and received a salary grant from the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Santé (FRQS) Junior 2 (2019–2023). She is the titular of the Littoral Research Chair (2019–2020 and 2020–2021 respectively), which is mainly funded by Sentinel North and the Northern Contaminant Programme (NCP). Marrianne Falardeau is a member of Québec Océan, the Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), and the Littoral Research Chair. She receives funding from the Genome Canada project FISHES (Fostering Indigenous Small-scale fisheries for Health, Economy, and food Security), the Belmont forum project MARAT (Marine Arctic Resilience, Adaptations and Transformations), and a Weston Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.