FAO closes the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture with public policy recommendations to strengthen the sector.
Costa Rica, March 31, 2023 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) closed the year-long global campaign for the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, focusing on small-scale artisanal fishers, fish farmers, and fish workers, underscoring the need to maintain momentum in this area.
With over 260 events held in 68 countries, the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA),“celebrated the millions of people working in small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture – including some 45 million women small-scale fishers – who produce 40% of all the fish we eat,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said at the closing ceremony, adding: “They are stewards of valuable ecosystems, and of longstanding traditions and cultures.”
FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean closed the IYAFA with an event in the framework of the XVIII Session of the Commission on Small-scale Fisheries, Artisanal and Aquaculture of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPESAALC).
COPPESAALC took place on March 29-31 in San José, Costa Rica, to report on the actions taken concerning the agreements of the previous meeting and to reflect collectively on issues related to the sustainability and contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to food security, rural poverty alleviation, and the responsible and harmonious management of natural resources. This takes into account the needs of the Commission's member countries, FAO's regional priorities, and the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda.
In this context, FAO launched three publications on artisanal fisheries and aquaculture based on surveys and interviews with people involved in fishing and aquaculture in ten countries in South America.
The three reports adopt a gender approach and show, through data and a review of country-level programs, the significant participation of women in the value chains of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in South America, as well as the important challenge of making sustainable and systemic progress in reducing gender gaps in the sector.
At the regional level, among the year's outstanding achievements were the creation of a network of fish farmers in Mesoamerica, the promotion of artisanal fishing and aquaculture champions in the Caribbean, and fish consumption and other events related to the sector.
"The IYAFA celebration was an important recognition for women and men in small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, and for the sector's food system workers, who contribute significantly to achieving a world without hunger. The publications we are launching today give us a complete picture, with concrete recommendations to strengthen the sector and to unlock key issues," explained José Aguilar, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer.
Small scale, great value
Mostly carried out by families, sometimes with a handful of workers, small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture (or fish and seafood farming) add up to a massive subsector. Small-scale fisheries provide livelihoods for nearly half a billion people globally - 95 percent of them operating in the global south.
Yet the workforce includes some of the communities most vulnerable to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, climate impacts and economic shocks, as they contribute to the management of aquatic resources in the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes.
To raise awareness of their role, the FAO-led campaign, supported by a wide array of partners, helped forge and strengthen partnerships among small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture workers and other stakeholders. Examples of this are the Ibero-American Network for Small-Scale Artisanal Fishing (RIPAPE) and the Maghreb and North African Platform for Artisanal Fishery.
The IYAFA 2022 Final Report highlights the significant number of declarations, calls to action and statements made by partners, at national, regional and global level, as well as providing recommendations to further support the subsector.
These include the areas of environmental, social and economic sustainability, governance, gender equality and equity, food security and nutrition, resilience and the participation of youth.
Although IYAFA 2022 is ending, “it should not be the end, but a new beginning where we continue to amplify the voices of small-scale artisanal fishers and continue to support the development of inclusive small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture national plans and strategies,” the FAO Director-General said.
Check publications here:
"Characterization of small-scale artisanal fishing and aquaculture in South America and public policy recommendations", is a study that characterizes and evaluates the sector in the region, and makes public policy recommendations for its strengthening. The methodology included the application of surveys and complementary interviews with national fisheries and aquaculture authorities, with people who work in the sector, and with representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Gallardo Lagno, A., Aguilar-Manjarrez, J., Norambuena Cleveland, R., Mienert Rauna, A. y Ivanovic Willumsen, C. 2023. Caracterización de la pesca y la acuicultura artesanal en pequeña escala en América del Sur y recomendaciones de políticas públicas. Documento Técnico de Pesca y Acuicultura de la FAO N.° 692. Santiago de Chile, FAO.
"Public Policy Recommendations for the Sustainable Development of Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in South America - Policy Guidelines for Authorities", aimed at national fisheries and aquaculture authorities in the countries of the region. These recommendations are aligned with the implementation of the provisions and recommendations of international instruments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Voluntary Guidelines to achieve the sustainability of small-scale fisheries, in the context of food security and poverty eradication.
FAO. 2023. Recomendaciones de políticas públicas para el desarrollo sostenible de la pesca y la acuicultura artesanales en pequeña escala en América del Sur - Lineamientos de políticas para las autoridades. Santiago de Chile.
"Recommendations for the sustainable development of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in South America - Policy guidelines for men and women who work in the sector", is aimed at people who work in these sectors and who contribute to food and nutrition security, and local development.
Gallardo Lagno, A., Aguilar-Manjarrez, J., Norambuena Cleveland, R. y Ivanovic Willumsen, C. 2023. Recomendaciones para el desarrollo sostenible de la pesca y la acuicultura artesanales en pequeña escala en América del Sur - Lineamientos de políticas para hombres y mujeres que trabajan en el sector. Santiago de Chile, FAO.