Dead in the water? Sustainability and direct seafood sales in Sweden

Abstract

Swedish and EU authorities, scholars, and activists have articulated sustainability visions and goals related to direct sales of fish and seafood, small-scale fisheries, and coastal communities. Research that investigates whether and how direct seafood sales by European or Swedish coastal fishers achieve such sustainable futures is however only beginning to emerge. In this study we use the theoretical framework of sustainable materialism to analyse qualitative data from eight Swedish operations that market fish and seafood directly to consumers. Our findings reveal that fishers who sell directly confront social and economic challenges and operate at a small scale, which calls into question claims made in policy documents, reports, and the media about the relationship between direct sales and sustainable development. At the same time, the operations realise sustainability visions promoted by the global alternative food movement: they strengthen non-fishers' support for small-scale producers, transmit knowledge and concern about fish and marine environments, and facilitate some consumption outside the corporate-industrial food system. For the practice to contribute meaningfully to supporting small-scale fisheries, coastal communities and sustainable consumption, we argue, direct seafood sales must be repositioned in thicker social and institutional arrangements that can spread laterally and be networked.