What Should a Sustainable and Inclusive Fisheries Value Chain Entail? Perspectives from Coastal Fishing Communities in Yunlin, Taiwan

This study utilized a qualitative exploratory research design and explored perspectives from 43 stakeholders in Yunlin to question and shed light on what a sustainable and inclusive fisheries value chain (FVC) should entail. In Yunlin, coastal fisheries are a valuable socio-cultural asset and livelihood capital, through which families and local communities have been employed and obtained income. To sustain these benefits, unique and innovative micro-level FVC activities, networks, circular demand-supply patterns, and inclusive associations have been formed. In some communities, women manage all FVC activities and have designed innovative digital marketing strategies. However, the changing socioecological systems (SES) and seafood marketing dynamics have steadily made Yunlin’s FVC perilous. This is worsened by the entry of external FVC actors or shifting demographic segments with limited knowledge of conventional win-win FVC practices. Moreover, changing marine environment conditions and coastal developments have affected primary production, catch, and fish farms. Although local communities have invaluable ideas for reinventing FVC and rejuvenating sustainable activities, institutional bottlenecks and the linear FVC dynamics limit their application. To co-create sustainable FVC, circularity actions were emphasized, and thus, a fair FVC model or design was conceptualized. Sustainable FVC practices must be based on three FVC levels, where specific actors’ operational limits, roles, and interactions are established. Level 1 (primary FVC) should include actors privy to the micro-level SES, shared economic interests, cultural, environmental, and livelihood aspirations. Level 2 actors should only venture into Level 1 if they add value to Level 1 actors’ operations. Level 3 should include large-scale actors, conglomerates, and importers whose immense power normally shocks Level 1 actors and demand-supply dynamics. To advance replicable actions, six recommendations are given, including: (1) baseline SES impact assessments, (2) FVC equity and justice transitions, (3) prioritizing micro-level coastal communities’ food security needs over large-scale consumers or actors, (4) shared empowerment models, (5) co-designing FVC business models, and (6) developing new site-specific or pilot models for coastal FVC. Such actions could progressively lead to blue transformations.