ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Aquaculture development is under heavy pressure to be able to meet the demand for food and food security. However, aquaculture has resulted in several sustainability concerns, and any future growth in aquaculture is facing serious environmental and climate change challenges. Vietnam's aquaculture industry is particularly vulnerable to the unpredictable and shifting weather patterns brought on by climate change due to its small-scale nature. The environmental and climate change implications of aquaculture must be significantly lessened for its growth to be sustainable. Studies on how climate change is impacting aquaculture still have gaps in developing good adaptation strategies to meet these challenges. Exploring what factors are perceived by fishermen in the first line on the seafood quality, availability, and sustainability under the impact of climate change is therefore essential to gain solutions for the future challenges on this topic.
METHODS: Fishermen, fish farmers, and shipowners from Nha Trang, Vietnam participated in the study as informants. To collect data, two in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted. Data from the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were analysed thematically after being transcribed verbatim.
FINDINGS: The thematic analysis of the collected data revealed two main themes: Beneficial and challenging factors concerning quality, availability, and sustainability of seafood under impact of climate change. The reported beneficial factors: easy access to seafood and economic profit, affiliation and secure livelihood, technological support, and adaptation techniques.
Furthermore, the challenging factors were higher costs and lower profit, pressed price and lack on demand of assured quality seafood, lack of sufficient equipments, overfishing and illegal fishing, poorer and polluted water, less seasonal period of catch, storm and unforeseen weather, and lack knowledge, higher risk, reduced health and well-being.
CONCLUSION: A range of both beneficial and challenging factors perceived and experienced revealed from various fishers, farmers and shipowners, on what and how they impacted the quality, availability, and sustainability of seafood under pressure of climate change in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The findings in this study are undertaken by fishermen on the front line to meet these benefits and challenges, Therefore the result of this study may address and express the needs from the perspective of the fisherman to make awareness and can be disseminated to policymakers, stakeholders, developers and implementers of adaptation strategies of what matters in light of pressure from climate change. Moreover, this study can improve existing solutions to better manage both the benefits and challenges concerning the quality, availability and sustainability of aquaculture and seafood in Nha Trang. This valuable recognition can be relevant for other countries as well. Furthermore, this in the term could lead to improved human health around the world and malnutrition, and poverty, particularly in the global problem area of sustainable development strategies and food insecurity.
KEYWORDS: Climate change, fishers/fishermen, fish farmer, shipowner, perceptions, experiences, thematic analysis, Vietnam.