The latest Atlantic tragedy reaches thousands in Brazil and remains unsolved. Oil spill disasters in the ocean often devastate marine and coastal ecosystems, profoundly affecting fisheries resources and fishing communities. Urgent and early-warning actions are needed to avoid a tragedy in biomes and communities when such accidents occur. In late-July 2019,...

A brief overview of relevant global findings and processes on the contributions of small-scale fisheries and rights to food and nutrition security, with a focus on the FAO. In fact, the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) endorsed by...

En 2013, la FAO a lancé l’Initiative Croissance bleue visant à stimuler le développement économique et social des communautés qui dépendent des ressources aquatiques pour leur alimentation et leurs moyens d’existence. Ces dernières années ont vu l’émergence d’une nouvelle vague d’innovateurs Croissance bleue qui luttent contre la pêche illégale qui...

With the death of Sidney Holt late last year, the world lost a man blessed with a towering intellect, boundless curiosity and an unwavering commitment to conservation. Sidney began his professional life in 1947 at the Fisheries Laboratory in Lowestoft, UK. Michael Graham was the lab’s director then and he set...

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has introduced multiple challenges in the lives of small-scale fishers in Indonesia. The COVID-19 pandemic that affected Indonesia in early March 2020 has impacted coastal communities, fisher households and fisher women. Information collected by women fisher activists in 12 provinces revealed that the pandemic has dealt...

Reflections on the ICSF workshop and recommendations to India’s draft National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (NIFAP), September 2019. The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) organized a national workshop to discuss the draft National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (NIFAP), being finalized by India’s Union Ministry of Agriculture...

For the first time in Chile, a new type of autonomous social movement, including fishworker organizations, seeks to create a democratic and representative constitution. Three major organizations in Chile have rejected the Social Agenda for Artisanal Fishers that President Sebastián Piñera’s government had proposed. (The proposal is called ‘Agenda social para...

The full range of activities required to deliver fish and fish products from production to the final consumer is subject to indirect impacts of the pandemic through new sanitary measures, changing consumer demands, market access or logistical problems related to transportation and border restrictions. This in turn has a damaging...

Taiwan government proposes a national level Coastal Blue Economy Growth (CBEG) program to promote ocean- linked industries based on the concept of sustainable development. Sea farming development is considered an important aspect that needs to be promoted for the CBEG program. Generally, sea farming relies on artificial technologies, environmental improvement...

Interview of Mme Diaba Diop, general secretary of Pencum Sénégal (GÉF/ Women’s Economic Group). I became a fish processor when I left school. I had sat twice for the Bac (‘A’ Levels). My grandmother, who worked in that trade, was growing old. So I decided to join forces with her. By...

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 Darawa community in the Wakatobi National Park, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, manages their octopus fishery by working tirelessly with community-based organizations. It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday. The Darawa village community in the Wakatobi National Park, in Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi, was preparing to celebrate. The occasion was the first opening...

Women in the small scale fishing sector in Mexico are key drivers ensuring food security and community wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have surpassed all imaginable scenarios. The global crisis moves fast and changes quickly, hence forcing people to adapt and navigate through uncertainty as...

The President of the Association of Indigenous Communities of the Middle Negro River (ACIMRN), Sandra Gomes, speaks about the challenges indigenous communities face due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Negro River in the Amazon region is the largest black water river in the world. Its basin area of approximately 750,000 sq....

Women in fisheries can utilize the SSF Guidelines to advance their interests, even as they relate to one another and build up solidarity and a common vision. Over the last several years, many fishworker organizations have been engaged in spreading awareness among the fishing communities on the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing...

The fishing industry in south-central Vietnam relies on co-management and the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (EAFM) to sustain the health of coastal marine areas. Vietnam’s 3,260-km coastline hosts a diversity of marine resources such as coral reefs and seagrass beds as well as more than 1,080 species of fish. The...

This photo-essay depicts the practice of aratu fishing carried out by women in the mangroves of northeastern Brazil. Aratu (Goniopsis cruentata) are small, reddish crustaceans that live on the branches of mangroves. They are processed and sold, the sweetness of the meat making them a prized delicacy. Aratu fishing is carried out...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SDG 5. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. How has progress towards...

At the core of the unique flavours and tastes of the East Java cuisine of Indonesia is the traditional artisanal fish processing technique of pindang. Sumenep Regency is located at the eastern end of the Madura Islands in Indonesia’s East Java province. It is known for its large fishery and marine...

Lovin Kobusingye is a well-known young woman fish entrepreneur working in Central Uganda’s Wakiso District. For over eight years, she, along with her two partners and over a thousand other fish farmers, has worked on fish processing and value addition. At the same time, she has persistently lobbied the government...