The Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOA-SSF) is a historic political commitment setting out a ten-year roadmap towards the long-term environmental, economic and social sustainability of the sector. Signed as a Ministerial Declaration in September 2018 by high-level representatives of Mediterranean...

Interview with Editrudith Lukanga, Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization (EMEDO), Tanzania. In Tanzania, I founded an organization called Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization (EMEDO). As part of implementing the SSF guidelines, under an FAO-supported project titled “Implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines for gender equitable and climate resilient food...

Marine fisheries in India is a caste-based occupation, with a social and political hierarchy in place. For those belonging to the subordinate fishing castes, excluded from decision-making processes at home, migration is an important strategy for gaining economic resources, social power and recognition as skilled and successful marine fishermen. In...

The year was 1998. Lydia Sasu, the notable personality being profiled in this column, was then a civil servant in the Department of Women in Agriculture in the Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture and also the Coordinator of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign of the Food and Agriculture Organization...

Limiting and managing the impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture, will largely depend on the sector's ability to implement mitigation and adaptation strategies. FAO supports member countries and partners to achieve this goal, thinking first at all those people that depend on the sector for their nutrition, income...

This report presents the main findings and recommendations from a vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) of coastal and fishing communities in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The overall goal of the assessment was to improve understanding of local climate change impacts and vulnerabilities for effective adaptation in the fisheries sector. It...

Fish provides more than 4.5 billion people around the world with a critical share of their daily protein requirements. For many, it’s an essential daily meal key for nutrition, health and well-being. And while fish may not be enough to ensure global food security, there will be no global food...

Vivian is a fisherman and wildlife conservationist living in the Rupununi. Fish and wildlife are an integral part of the indigenous culture and diet in this region of Guyana, which borders Brazil and Venezuela. However, threats to the Rupununi’s rich biodiversity are increasing as the area becomes more accessible and...

This situation paper is a background document that summarizes the diversity, complexity, and relevance of tenure systems, rights, and the institutional management of inland fisheries in India. The paper is prepared on the occasion of the ICSF Workshop on Improving Inland Fisheries Governance in India, held at Seva Kendra, Kolkata,...

harveststrategies.org serves as a resource for fisheries scientists, managers, and other stakeholders, compiling information about how harvest strategies work and how implementing this pioneering management approach can lead to sustainable, profitable fisheries and successful recovery programs for many species around the world. The site is managed by The Ocean Foundation’s International...

This brief presents the main results from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) report, providing new, clearer insights to support the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Under Indian legislation, i.e. various state Marine Fishing (Regulation) Act (MFRAs), small-scale traditional fishers are granted exclusive rights to near-shore marine waters, ostensibly to protect their rights and livelihoods. However, failures in implementation, management and monitoring of these exclusive small-scale artisanal fishing zones (SFZs), has hampered the holistic actualization of...

Significant growth in aquaculture has driven global fisheries and aquaculture production to a record high as aquatic foods make an increasingly critical contribution to food security and nutrition in the 21st century, according to a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released today.   The 2022 edition of...

The incessant noise over ‘Blue Economy’ and ‘Blue Growth’ leaves artisanal and small-scale fishers dazed and confused. This report works through that confusion. It draws on scholarship from the trenches and the research centres across ten Latin American countries. From extensive interviews, policy reviews, analyses of finances and online datasets....

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has published a study that analyzes how the so-called ‘Blue Economy’ discourses and practice plays out from the perspectives of small-scale, artisanal fishworkers in ten Latin American countries: Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The study, titled...

Women and men play important roles throughout the fish value chain, and also for the conservation of aquatic resources. However, there is little recognition of women’s valuable contribution to the fisheries sector. Women glean and collect seafood from the mangroves. Women clean and process the fish. Women sell fish products...

This study tries to discuss issues relating to both internal and external cost. Through information leaned from literature, onsite observation, and actual discussion with stakeholders, this study attempts to draw attention to the impacts of aquaculture on the environment, on the lives of the people dependent on these environments, and...

Whilst conjecture remains regarding the quantity of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) entering the ocean, ALDFG is recognised as the most harmful form of marine plastic litter irrespective of whether it has been intentionally discarded or accidentally lost – harming vulnerable species, damaging fragile habitats as well...

En el marco del Año Internacional de la Pesca y la Acuicultura Artesanales (2022), y con el apoyo de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) y Organización del Sector de la Pesca y la Acuicultura del Istmo Centroamericano (OSPESCA), se instauró la nueva...

The Mediterranean Sea is being invaded by hundreds of fish, jellyfish, prawns and other marine species from outside the region. More than 1 000 non-indigenous species have been identified in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Over half have established permanent populations and are spreading, causing concern about the threat they...