Seasonal nutrient contribution of mangrove aquatic foods to fisher households in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

Aquatic foods are micronutrient-rich and utilised by coastal communities across the globe. However, the contribution of aquatic foods sourced from mangroves to nutrient intake is relatively unknown, despite thousands of people reliant on their resources in coastal regions across the globe. This case study aimed to quantify the nutrient contribution that aquatic foods make to mangrove fishers' household dietary requirements in a community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

METHODS

A seven-day household weighed food record of all aquatic food consumed was conducted twice to capture seasonal variability, in the wet (n = 59) and dry seasons (n = 54). Records were analysed using nutrition composition datasets for finfish and shellfish. The contribution aquatic foods make to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) was described for seven nutrients: calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, omega-3 essential fatty acids and protein. The total quantity of each species consumed for each season was determined to calculate the average per-person nutrient intake from each species and from all aquatic food species combined. We then compared these to each of the RNI sex and age categories and aggregated it to present an average (%) RNI for the total sample and by season.

RESULTS

Households consumed more meals containing aquatic food in the dry season (390 meals) compared to the wet season (337 meals). Aquatic foods contributed to all seven nutrients analysed, mostly to the RNIs for selenium (127% wet season and 193% dry season), protein (27% wet season and 35% dry season), omega-3 essential fatty acids (21% in both seasons), and zinc (10% wet season and 17% dry season). Contribution to iron reduced from 11 to 10% between the wet and dry seasons and increased from 8 to 10% for calcium and 4-7% for vitamin A between the wet and dry seasons respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that mangrove aquatic foods provide important nutrients in local seasonal diets in West Kalimantan. Given the nutritional challenges Indonesia faces, sustaining local engagement with mangroves as a food system should be considered in the aquatic foods discourse and nutrition projects, as well as mangrove conservation and management strategies.