In 1984, the UN/FAO was holding the World Conference on Fisheries Management and Development (WFC) in Rome. Government representatives and international agencies were attending. But fishers were not invited, their representatives neither.

This here is a personal account of the collective efforts that went into holding in Rome—parallel to WFC—the first International Conference of Fish Workers and Supporters (ICFWS). It is how a network of fisheries activists, organizations and concerned citizens across the world joined forces to achieve the impossible.

On the 40th anniversary of that historic meet, here is a tribute to those who created a worldwide campaign to support small-scale fishers who feed the world sustainably.