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#CommonGround | Your gourmet dinner is eating up the superfood of the poor

The dried fish trade declines, as fish meal and fish oil companies corner much of India's seafood, threatening the nutrition of millions, write @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha.✍️

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This story is part of #CommonGround, our new in-depth and investigative reporting project.

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Fishmeal firms buy vast quantities of India’s marine catch to feed shrimp farms, threatening the livelihoods of smaller fishers and the nutrition of millions.

By @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha. ✍️

scroll.in/article/100853…

@shamsheeryousaf #CommonGround: At the Cuddalore harbour, small-scale vendors have to compete with seafood firms that supply fish to fishmeal companies.

These companies pay trawlers advances to book their catch, @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha report. ✍️

Read more: scroll.in/article/100853…

#CommonGround: Dried fish trader Kanni Manickam sets out a stock of ribbonfish to dry.

Rising costs and falling profits mean Manickam cannot afford to hire the labour she needs to help her with her work, @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha report. ✍️

Read: scroll.in/article/100853…

@shamsheeryousaf #CommonGround: Workers load marine catch onto trucks marked with the name of a seafood company.

The shrimp industry boom has led to seafood firms selling large quantities of "food fish" to fishmeal firms, @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha report. ✍️

Read: scroll.in/article/100853…

@shamsheeryousaf #CommonGround: Dried fish is a a cheap and durable source of protein for many communities, along the coast but also in the hinterland.

The decline in the trade threatens their access to this nutrition, @shamsheeryousaf & Monica Jha report. ✍️

Read: scroll.in/article/100853…