Artisanal fishers’ experiential knowledge contains qualities that can help the world face some of its most difficult problems including climate change. We need to value their wisdom. Most maritime countries have neglected and shunned their small-scale fisheries since the mid-1950s. This was done in the name of fisheries development, to make the transition to a modernized large-scale fishing industry. Despite this historical neglect and lack of support small-scale fisheries continue to exist and even thrive in most countries around the world even today, seven decades later. Small-scale fisheries are still “too big to ignore”. Their enormous resilience and continued relevance are supported today by a considerable body of research studies worldwide. International agencies including—importantly—FAO have recently made clarion calls for support to small-scale fisheries, largely with the policy objective of alleviating poverty and supporting welfare needs. This orientation alone is inadequate because it fails to perceive and appreciate many of the innate qualities of small-scale fisheries. We need new perspectives for the future.