Despite women making up about 50 percent of the fisheries workforce worldwide, their contribution to the sector has long been under-estimated with implications for fisheries management and food security. This is because, in many countries, fisheries definitions are narrow and tend to focus on the production node of the value...

The impacts of climate change are many and distributed. While extreme events, enhanced in frequency or intensity by climate change, may not cause as many causalities as they did in the past, they disrupt many services. Among these, disruption in health services, including those that address sexual and reproductive health...

Smoking fish is one of the most common methods of food preservation among fishing communities in Uganda. The most common species that fishing communities smoke include Nile Perch and Tilapia. However, one of the main hazards associated with traditional smoking methods is the risk of cancer due to Polycyclic Aromatic...

CAOPA, the African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries, recently launched an exciting new series on its website that captures the stories, lives, struggles, challenges and achievements of women leaders in African fisheries.

Bangladesh’s small-scale fisheries is going through a phase of multidimensional challenges. There is a lack of grassroot associations and organizations which affiliates fishers and protect their interests. The current study found that one of the root causes of all problems for sustainable and small-scale fisheries in the country stem from...

In a bid to revolutionize fish processing methods and promote sustainability, a pilot study of a prototype fish drum oven was recently carried out. The study used innovative technology to address the limitations of traditional fish smoking techniques while ensuring the preservation of nutritional value and product quality. Based on...

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...

In Colombia, the coastal town of Buenaventura boasts one of the country’s busiest ports. Local communities rely to a great extent on fisheries and aquaculture to make a living, and women make up a large part of the workforce. These women fish sellers – known as the Platoneras - work...

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...