Fishing Down the Food Chain for Dagaa

Abstract

This article explores fishing practices and fishermen’s relation to the ocean in Zanzibar in the context of global political economy. Based on two months of fieldwork in Unguja, it centres around catching small pelagic fish species, dagaa, which has become vital for food security among the local population. The article accounts for how dagaa fishing, in contrast to other fishing practices, constitutes a different relation to the ocean. The expanding dagaa industry stems from an overexploitation of bigger fish species. The article discusses how this exploitation down the food chain is connected to the political economy in Zanzibar. It argues that capitalism and an increasing need for money constitute a metabolic rift that alienates dagaa fishermen. This alienated relationship between local fishermen and the ocean is discussed in the context of Zanzibar’s multifaceted position in the global political economy: as a postcolonial state, a ‘paradise island’ for Western tourists, and a central actor in BE investment.

https://dx.doi.org/10.56279/NJIY8787/TJDS.v23i1.6