Follow that fish: Uncovering the hidden blue economy in coral reef fisheries

Despite their importance for human well-being, nearshore fisheries are often data poor, undervalued, and underappreciated in policy and development programs. We assess the value chain for nearshore Hawaiian coral reef fisheries, mapping post-catch distribution and disposition, and quantifying associated monetary, food security, and cultural values. We estimate that the total annual value of the nearshore fishery in Hawaiʻi is $10.3-$16.4 million, composed of non-commercial ($7.2-$12.9 million) and commercial ($2.97 million licensed + $148,500-$445,500 unlicensed) catch. Hawaii’s nearshore fisheries provide >7 million meals annually, with most (>5 million) from the non-commercial sector. Over a third (36%) of meals were planktivores, 26% piscivores, 21% primary consumers, and 18% secondary consumers. Only 62% of licensed commercial catch is accounted for in purchase reports, leaving 38% of landings unreported in sales. Value chains are complex, with major buyers for the commercial fishery including grocery stores (66%), retailers (19%), wholesalers (14%), and restaurants (

尽管近岸渔业（nearshore fisheries）对人类福祉至关重要，但在政策制定与发展规划中，这类渔业往往面临数据匮乏、价值被低估且未得到足够重视的处境。本研究针对夏威夷近岸珊瑚礁渔业的价值链展开系统评估，绘制了其捕捞后分配与处置图谱，并量化了相关经济价值、粮食安全价值与文化价值。经估算，夏威夷近岸渔业的年度总价值为1030万至1640万美元，其中非商业捕捞价值720万至1290万美元，商业捕捞则包含持证捕捞（297万美元）与无许可捕捞（14.85万至44.55万美元）两个部分。夏威夷近岸渔业每年可提供超700万份餐食，其中超500万份来自非商业捕捞环节。在这些餐食的来源构成中，超过三分之一（36%）为浮游生物食性鱼类，26%为食鱼性鱼类，21%来自初级消费者类群，18%来自次级消费者类群。持证商业捕捞的渔获中，仅有62%会被纳入采购报告，另有38%的上岸渔获未在销售环节进行报备。该渔业价值链结构复杂，商业捕捞的主要采购方包括杂货店（66%）、零售商（19%）、批发商（14%）以及餐厅（