Expenditure on fish (both caught and purchased) comprises around 20% of the total expenditure on food in poorer households in Honiara and other urban areas [47]. According to the 2005/6 household income and expenditure survey (HIES), the highest proportion of expenditure on selleckchem fish in urban areas is on low-grade taiyo (canned tuna) and fresh tuna/bonito. The highest proportion of expenditure in rural areas is a category called ‘other fresh fish’ [47]. Our study finding is consistent with the findings for urban households in terms of the amount of fish

consumed. However, the present study categorised the fish eaten into more groups and also showed that for those households that had access to wild tilapia, this fish ranked similarly to fresh tuna and tinned fish in terms of preference, after reef fish. The HIES has been widely used to estimate the amount of fish that people consume in Solomon Islands [1] and [28]. There is no evidence of national surveys to date having asked about the consumption of tilapia, although for consumption (but not necessarily expenditure)

surveys, it is expected that this would be captured in the category “other fish”. For urban households (particularly those not immediately adjacent to the coast) that have access to wild tilapia, and fish it themselves at no cost, this is not reflected in household expenditure LDK378 surveys. Qualitative assessments have previously identified higher levels of consumption, especially of reef and ‘other’ fish, than is apparent from the

national HIES data [28]. When price was not considered, marine reef fish were the preferred fish or animal source protein for the respondents in this survey. However, tinned fish was most commonly consumed. Income was one factor that influenced fish and meat consumption, although this was not always a straightforward relationship. For example, those with a greater cash income more frequently consumed marine fish, tinned fish and meat than freshwater fish or tuna. However, despite Miconazole reef fish easily being the most preferred fish overall, people who lived in town, who generally had higher cash incomes, consumed more tinned fish. Even though none of the communities in this study were more than 3.5 km from the sea, and in Malaita all could access Auki market daily if they wished to, reef fish was consumed more frequently by the coastal people of Malaita (who have direct access to the sea for fishing for their household) than inland settlements. Consumption of tilapia and other freshwater fish was higher for the Guadalcanal inland people than the coastal people. Accurate estimates of household income are acknowledged to be difficult to obtain in Solomon Islands [48] and only limited emphasis therefore is placed on this factor here.