1 INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This report presents the findings of a literature review conducted on behalf of the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme, by Graeme Macfadyen (Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management Ltd) and Emily Corcoran (freelance consultant). The work was completed during March 2002 in time to serve as an information paper for the meeting of the Joint Working Party on Poverty in Small-Scale Fisheries (Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme and FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research), Rome, Italy, from 10 to 12 April 2002.

The terms of reference for the literature review can be found in Annex 1.

Additional background to this literature review and the motivation for ongoing work on fisheries and poverty is presented in the Project Concept Paper (see Annex 2).

1.2 METHODOLOGY

A wide number of sources of information were accessed in an attempt to obtain relevant literature. These included:

- databases of journal abstracts (Agricola 1992-2001/2, CAB International Abstracts 1992-2002, Econlit 1969-2002, Sociological Abstract 1986-2001/2, Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts 1992-2002, Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources Abstracts 1992-2002) - access through FAO^[1];

- FAO online catalogue;

- CEMARE (University of Portsmouth) library (site visit to run searches)^[2];

- research requests posted to IIFET (International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade) email distribution list;

- individual requests made to staff known to the consultants dealing with fisheries and natural resources at FAO, DFID, World Bank, Asian Development, Asian Development, and the European Commission;

- individual requests made to personal contacts of the consultants;

- the Internet using search engines such as Google;

- reference list from papers presented to the DFID-FAO SFLP (GCP/INT/735/UK) Workshop for Poverty, Small-scale Fisheries and the CCRF, Cotonou, Benin, November 2001;

- internet sites of organizations and information of possible interest (see Annex 3 for a list of useful sites and links, with a brief description of the sort of information available at each site);

- requests to libraries at ITDG, ODI, Oxfam and Care.

In examining the terms of reference, the scale of the task involved with the literature review is immediately evident. Given the limited time and budget available for the study, we have therefore had to be selective in our search for relevant information. The initial approach taken was to generate as many references as possible of potential interest. All references were then rapidly assessed based on titles, and where possible abstracts, to decide whether to access full records. Those records selected and accessed were then reviewed, analysed and synthesised into the findings contained in this report.

The search strategy for all databases of journal abstracts and for the CEMARE library, used keywords associated with each main item of the terms of reference as shown below in bold:

1. the applied methodology and findings of studies that have been carried out to analyse poverty in fishing communities (poverty and (fishing or fisheries or fishery) - this search generated many references also relevant to all other points below);

2. a synthesis of the findings of lessons-learned studies on applying the SLA to fisheries and rural development (especially in South Asia and West Africa) ("sustainable livelihoods" and ("case studies" or "lessons learnt"));

3. a synthesis of reviews of using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) ("sustainable livelihoods" and "poverty reduction strategy papers");

4. a synthesis of studies on small-scale fisheries on:

a) the "commons" nature of fisheries: cause or remedy of poverty? ((commons or "common property") and fish*) and ("common property" and poverty);

b) the special characteristics of small-scale fishers' vulnerability and coping mechanisms ((vulnerab* or coping mechanisms) and (fishers or fishing or fisheries or fishery));

c) the impact of technological change on efficiency, equity and poverty (technology and (fishing or fisheries or fishery));

d) the role of fishworkers' organizations: a voice for the poor (organizations and (fishing or fisheries or fishery));

e) the critical factors for artisanal/small-scale fishers to get out of poverty: evidences and inferences (poverty and (fishing or fisheries or fishery)).

Searches of journal databases conducted whilst at FAO generated a number of records which looked interesting but which were not available in either the FAO fisheries library or the main FAO library. Some of these were subsequently obtained from other sources for review, but given the large number of records already collected for review and analysis, and the limited time available, others were not. Annex 5 contains an additional list of references which are likely to be of particular interest to the topics examined in this report, but which the consultants did not have time to access and review.

A number of other filters were also employed to make the amount of information to be analysed more manageable. While some particularly interesting literature pre-1990 has been included in the review, the majority of references relate to the last twelve years. In addition, while the terms of reference refer to small-scale fisheries (i.e. which could be taken to include many inshore-fisheries in developed countries), with one or two exceptions, almost all references selected for review relate to developing country artisanal/traditional fisheries (note Smith 1979 provides a useful summary of the differences between small-scale, traditional, artisanal and industrial fisheries).

In addition, while the Concept Paper refers to a comparison of fisheries with other sectors, the terms of reference require a literature review relating to fisheries only, except for the review of SLA and rural development, and SLA in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. Some non-fisheries related articles have been included, but the large majority refer to fisheries only.

Internet searches were particularly relevant for the identification of more recent documents (1998 onwards), an increasing number of which are being made available as full text PDF documents, free and online. A complete review of online information has not been possible for this review, although Appendix 3 is an attempt to direct users to the most up to date and relevant sources.

These filters, along with the fact that there are other journal databases that could have been searched, and the fact that alternative keywords could have been employed for those databases that were searched to identify additional records, mean that it is acknowledged that much relevant literature is sure to have been missed. Nevertheless, we hope that the 300-odd references reviewed as part of this study have generated some key issues and points of interest, and highlighted areas of necessary further research.

1.3 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

While some of the items in the terms of reference and associated literature overlap in context, for ease of presentation this report is structured so that each item of the terms of reference is dealt with in a separate section. Each section begins with a summary table for the references reviewed.

All the references that have been reviewed in full (but not all those initially identified as being of interest but not accessed) are itemised in the Bibliography in Annex 4 in the usual form of author, date, title, and source (e.g. Bloggs J., 2001, Fisheries and poverty in Africa, Marine Policy Vol 3 (2) pp35-45). The Bibliography is presented as a series of tables corresponding to the main points/sections of the terms of reference, and provides the following additional information:

1. The area/country to which the reference relates. It is hoped that this additional information will highlight geographical areas where research appears to be most prevalent and areas where it appears to be lacking. We acknowledge that the references reviewed are skewed geographically by a concentration on references in English and the sources of data we have used. Nevertheless an interesting graphical presentation of the geographical coverage of references is provided in the conclusion.

2. Whether the study provides empirical evidence of the impacts on poverty. This provides the reader with some idea about the extent to which studies have specifically assessed and measured impacts on poverty.

3. Where the reference has been sourced from i.e. where the consultants have obtained it. This will enable the reader to rapidly access those that they would like to view in full.

4. Finally, we have also placed in bold text a few selected references that we feel are key reading for each of the points in the terms of reference.