Empowering Women in Small-scale Fisheries for Sustainable Food System in Asia and the Pacific

Gender equity and equality are fundamental guiding principles in FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), ideals which are also closely aligned with the overarching objectives and approach in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Women comprise almost half of the workforce in small-scale fisheries; however, their contribution to food security, income generation and community resilience is under-valued. To redress this deficit, gender perspectives need to be mainstreamed into fisheries and aquaculture programmes and policies at the local, national, and international level

The role of small-scale fisheries in Nigeria’s food system

This discussion paper draws together recent data on fish and aquatic foods, and nutrition in Nigeria, to examine how small-scale fisheries fit within and contribute to Nigeria’s food system. Much of the analysis and exploration we present here are of very recent data from global, national, and local initiatives. This discussion paper has a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goals 2, and other goals and targets related to human nutrition, food security, and sustainable food production and supplies

A good practice guide for ethical and inclusive communications involving small-scale fisheries

Today, small-scale fisheries are experiencing substantial climate, economic, and political changes. The power of communications can greatly influence how fisherfolk and small-scale fisheries are central or marginal, enabled or disenabled among these changes. Messages and discourse can shape perspectives on, and images of, small-scale fisheries, leading actors (including those who have power) to hold certain ideas and views on how they should be governed, thereby influencing outcomes. This guide provides practical and simple guidance on how to communicate about small-scale f isheries in an inclusive, responsible and ethical way that respects and recognizes the 120 million women, men and youth employed and engaged in the sector

The role of small-scale fisheries in Nigeria’s food system

This discussion paper draws together recent data on fish and aquatic foods, and nutrition in Nigeria, to examine how small-scale fisheries fit within and contribute to Nigeria’s food system. Much of the analysis and exploration we present here are of very recent data from global, national, and local initiatives. This discussion paper has a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goals 2, and other goals and targets related to human nutrition, food security, and sustainable food production and supplies

Illuminating Hidden Harvests – The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development

Small-scale fisheries account for at least 40 percent of the global catch from capture fisheries and provide employment across the value chain for an estimated 60.2 million people, about 90 percent of the total number employed in fisheries globally. The economic value of these fisheries, however, is only a part of their importance: for example, nearly 53 million additional people were estimated to be engaged in subsistence activities in 2016. Rightly considered from a holistic and integrated perspective, small-scale fisheries define the livelihoods, nutrition and culture of a substantial and diverse segment of humankind. This study, Illuminating Hidden Harvests: the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development (hereinafter Illuminating Hidden Harvests, or IHH), uncovers the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries through a multidisciplinary approach to data collection and analysis. The study provides information that quantifies and improves understanding of the crucial role of small-scale fisheries in the areas of food security and nutrition, sustainable livelihoods, poverty eradication and healthy ecosystems. It also examines gender equality as well as the nature and scope of governance in small-scale fisheries, and how this differs between different countries and fishery units. The IHH study was carried out in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), themselves developed in recognition of the plight of small-scale fishers, fishworkers and associated communities. The SSF Guidelines provide advice and direction for the enhancement of responsible and sustainable small-scale fisheries, through the development and implementation of participatory, ecosystem-friendly policies, strategies and legal frameworks

Towards greater transparency and coherence in funding for sustainable marine fisheries and healthy oceans

This final manuscript in the special issue on “Funding for ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries” is the result of a dialogue aimed at connecting lead authors of the special issue manuscripts with relevant policymakers and practitioners. The dialogue took place over the course of a two-day workshop in December 2018, and this “coda” manuscript seeks to distil thinking around a series of key recurring topics raised throughout the workshop. These topics are collected into three broad categories, or “needs”: 1) a need for transparency, 2) a need for coherence, and 3) a need for improved monitoring of project impacts. While the special issue sought to collect new research into the latest trends and developments in the rapidly evolving world of funding for ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries, the insights collected during the workshop have helped to highlight remaining knowledge gaps. Therefore, each of the three “needs” identified within this manuscript is followed by a series of questions that the workshop participants identified as warranting further attention as part of a future research agenda. The crosscutting nature of many of the issues raised as well as the rapid pace of change that characterizes this funding landscape both pointed to a broader need for continued dialogue and study that reaches across the communities of research, policy and practice.S

Migration, resource management and global change: Experiences from fishing communities in West and Central Africa

Migration constitutes one of the strategies that fishing communities often use in order to secure their livelihoods. This paper analyses the patterns of migration in West and Central Africa based on case studies from selected countries. It attempts to shed light on migration flows and the reasons behind mobility, and what the main challenges are with regard to integration of migrants in local communities. Migration in the light of global change is discussed as well as how the interests of residents and migrants can best be accommodated for mutual benefit in the context of resource management and poverty reduction. The experience of the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme on migrants and co-management is referred to and the need for inclusive governance and social development approaches emphasised.Central Africa Co-management Fisheries governance Global change Migration West Africa

Fishing Livelihoods as Key to Marine Protected Areas: Insights from the World Parks Congress

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become a widely used tool for marine conservation and fisheries management. In coastal areas, it has become clear that the success of MPAs, and the achievement of sustainable fishery production, requires a combination of effective management and conservation frameworks, maintenance of decent fisheries livelihoods, and effective participation of coastal communities, fishing people, and other ocean users in considering, designing and implementing MPAs. These ingredients are crucial to provide the social sustainability needed to achieve ecological sustainability, and in particular, to reconcile fisheries and marine conservation objectives, in light of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The 2014 World Parks Congress in Sydney reinforced the apparent movement towards recognition of social and economic issues related to MPAs, including the importance of food security and livelihoods, and the crucial nature of interactions between MPAs and fisheries. Many discussions at the 2014 WPC focused on these human dimensions of MPAs, and the need to incorporate them into MPA decision-making, but the meeting as a whole highlighted concerns over several issues, such as the advocacy of a specific area-based MPA target globally. This presentation examines the WPC outcomes, with emphasis on the role of people (in particular, fishers) in marine conservation and coastal MPAs, and explores potential strategies for moving constructively beyond the still existing tensions between environment- and people-focused conservation and development.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK