Why we need small fish

1 Euro of fish - For millions of people, small fish such as mackerel, sardines and anchovies are a crucial source of food. Small fish are nutritious, cheap, and can be found swimming in schools all over the world. Despite this fact, it is an area still neglected by food security and ocean management policy. 'Although poorer consumers can still get their hands on small fish, that may not be the case for much longer', warns maritime geographer Maarten Bavinck. UN International Sustainability Goal 2 states that hunger must be banished from the world by 2030, and that all people must have access to sufficient safe and nutritious food sources all year round. 'When it comes to food security, we often tend to look at the global food supply as a whole', Bavinck explains. 'However, it's just as important to examine whether that food is accessible - that is, affordable and available - and whether the quality is high enough.' These three pillars of food security - availability, accessibility and quality - were the focus areas of the Fish4Food project sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).