Importance of fish for food and nutrition security among First Nations in Canada

Abstract

Objective To investigate the relationships between fish/seafood consumption patterns and food security status among First Nations (FN) communities in Canada. We estimated the contribution of fish/seafood to daily nutrient requirements. Barriers to traditional food (TF) access including fish were summarized. Methods Data were collected by the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (2008–2018). The sample of this participatory study comprised 6258 randomly selected FN adults. Fish/seafood consumption was estimated with a food frequency questionnaire. Food security status was assessed with the Household Food Security Survey Module. The contribution of fish/seafood to protein, n-3 fatty acid, vitamin (A, B12, D, niacin) and mineral (selenium, zinc) requirements was assessed by comparison to Dietary Reference Intakes. Results Regional differences were observed in fish/seafood consumption patterns and their relationship with food security status. In the eastern regions (Ontario, Quebec/Labrador and the Atlantic region), consumption of fish/seafood and other TF was significantly higher among food insecure compared with food secure FN participants. Severely food insecure men (particularly in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec/Labrador and the Atlantic region) tended to eat a higher amount of TF, including fish/seafood, compared with food secure and moderately food insecure men, while no difference was observed in women. Fish/seafood provided good sources of selected nutrients. However, the high cost of harvesting equipment, industry-related activities and climate change reduce access to fish/seafood and other wildlife. Conclusion Fish/seafood continues to be vital to the diet of FN communities. Focusing on policies that support FN increased access to fish/seafood has the potential to decrease food insecurity and support sustainable livelihoods. Future policies should focus on socio-economic determinants of food insecurity and support traditional harvesting and sustainable fisheries among FN communities.

The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (2008–2018)—rationale, design, methods and lessons learned

“…First Nations living on-reserve experience extremely high rates of food insecurity: an average of 48% (range between 24% and 60%) of households are food insecure, and the rate is 3 to 5 times higher than the food insecurity rate reported for the general Canadian population (12%) (Batal et al 2021d). Fish harvest and consumption were found to be important contributors to nutritional health and food security among First Nations (Marushka et al 2021a).…”

“…The lessons learned from the Study and the significance of the results are discussed. Detailed methods and findings for each component are presented in the accompanying papers in this Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health (Batal et al 2021a-e;Marushka et al 2021aMarushka et al , 2021bChan et al 2021;Tikhonov et al 2021;andSchwartz et al 2021a, 2021b).…”

Regionally representative hair mercury levels in Canadian First Nations adults living on reserves

“…Additional research is needed to better assess mercury exposure among First Nations men. Continued mercury biomonitoring is essential, particularly due to the importance of fish in the traditional diet of First Nations in Canada (Marushka et al, 2021). lection methodology by Iouri Romachine, PhD.…”

Insights into drivers of population declines offer a ray of hope for migratory fishes in the temperate rainforest

“…| 5 COMMENTARY income, food security, and cultural value to communities in the region (Johnson et al, 2019;Marushka et al, 2021). If historic logging has strongly reduced salmonid productivity throughout the temperate rainforest, as Wilson et al (2021) found in their study area, then new approaches to forest management could potentially yield major gains toward recovering fish populations and fisheries.…”