Processes of commodification and standardization in tropical freshwater fish value chains – current and historical perspectives

19世纪中叶水族馆的发明激发了人们在家中重新创造一片看似未受破坏的自然的愿望：一片具有一些自我调节特征的受控微缩荒野。由于使用简单的技术和长时间的运输，早期进口到欧洲和美国的热带鱼的死亡率很高。组织和技术的改进促进了商品化进程，热带鱼贸易变得更加专业。这些进展还使圈养养殖更多的淡水物种成为可能，导致欧洲和北美市场的热带鱼供应增加。今天，在全球野生动物贸易中，超过一半的脊椎动物是鱼类。2000年至2500个淡水和海洋物种定期交易，但约有30个淡水物种主导全球市场。这不仅反映了交易和商品化物种的高度标准化，也反映了国际流行物种养殖标准的重要作用。至少在三个领域可以观察到标准化进程：(1)品种标准，(2)空运和陆路运输的包装标准，(3)农场、装卸设施等采用行业标准。全球贸易通过一个主要贸易中心网络进行引导和控制：例如新加坡、法兰克福、阿姆斯特丹、迈阿密和洛杉矶。现有关于观赏鱼贸易的研究对地理贸易模式和不同物种之间的相关性提供了有益的概述。然而，很少有人注意到相关的本地和全球价值链。观赏鱼商品化及其贸易引发了许多生态、社会和道德问题，例如生态系统退化、装运后死亡或保护小规模渔民和养殖户的生计。该项目的重点将是商品化进程和与之相关的标准的制定。在概念上，这项研究既反映了话语的观点，也反映了非人类中心(多物种)的观点。其目的是研究养殖鱼和野外捕捞鱼的两种不同且部分相互竞争的价值链类型。该方法应主要基于对(1)新加坡及邻近养鱼区域(养殖鱼类的价值链)、(2)坦桑尼亚(野生捕捞价值链)和(3)法兰克福和阿姆斯特丹(进口商、批发商)价值链上的行为者的定性访谈。除了这些采访，还将分析19世纪70年代以来的主要养鱼期刊，以获得关于商品化和标准化过程的更深层次的历史视角。这些分析还将提供对热带鱼是天然的、正宗的或野生的或驯养宠物的不断变化的理解的更深层次的洞察。

The invention of the aquarium in the mid‐19th century spurred people’s desire to re‐create a piece of seemingly unspoiled ‘nature’ at home: a controlled ‘miniature wilderness’ with some self‐regulating characteristics. The early imports of tropical fish to Europe and the US were subject to high rates of mortality due to the use of simple technologies and the long duration of transport. Organizational and technological improvements boosted commodification processes, and the trade with tropical fish became more professional. These advancements also made it possible to breed more freshwater species in captivity, leading to an increase in the supply of tropical fish on European and North American markets. Today, more than half of all vertebrates in the global wildlife trade are fish species. Between 2000 and 2500 freshwater and marine species are traded regularly, but about 30 freshwater species dominate the global market. This not only reflects a high degree of standardization in the species traded and being commodified, but also the important role of international breed standards for popular species. Processes of standardization can be observed in at least three fields: (1) breed standards, (2) packaging standards for air and land transport, (3) the adoption of industry standards by farms, handling facilities etc. Global trade is channeled through and controlled by a network of dominant trading hubs: e.g. Singapore, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Miami, Los Angeles. The existing studies on trade of ornamental fish have provided useful overviews of geographical trade patterns and the relevance of different species. Little attention, however, has been paid to the associated local and global value chains. Commodification of ornamental fish and their trade raise a number of ecological, social, and moral issues, such as the degradation of ecosystems, post‐shipment mortality, or the protection of livelihoods of small‐scale fishers and breeders. The focus of this project will be on commodification processes and the development of standards that are related to it. Conceptually, this research reflects both discursive and non-anthropocentric (multi-species) perspectives. The aim is to study two different and partly competing types of value chains for farm‐raised fish and for fish caught in the wild. The methodology shall be mainly based on qualitative interviews with actors along the value chains in (1) Singapore and neighboring fish‐farm regions (value chains of farm‐raised fish), (2) Tanzania (wild catch value chains), and (3) Frankfurt and Amsterdam (importers, wholesalers). In addition to these interviews, leading fish keeping journals from the 1870s onward will be analyzed to gain a deeper historical perspective on commodification and standardization processes. These analyses will also provide deeper insights into the changing understanding of tropical fish being something natural, authentic or wild, or domesticated pets.