How can spaces for dialogue between small-scale fisheries social movements, policymakers and scientists be revived when they remain unlinked in local policy and management?. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of increasingly interconnected food systems and actors across the world. During this time, even as hunger increased significantly—including in rural areas of Brazil—the traditional practices of food production and sharing have secured the intake of nutrition among local communities. This, in the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), is a chance to recognize the important role of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in food security and socioeconomic wellbeing.