FAO launches International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean
Artisanal fisheries generate 90% of all fisheries and aquaculture jobs in the region.
During World Fisheries Day, commemorated today, 21 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the International Year of Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture as a way to make visible the importance of the sector to achieve the goals established in the Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).
The objective of this international year is to improve social appreciation of the contributions of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, in food and economic terms, and to promote dialogue and cooperation to strengthen the families that depend on these activities.
The activities and programs will strengthen associativity, strengthen the sector in terms of safety and quality, and encourage the population to consume seafood products, promoting local purchases and the sustainable management of fishery resources.
"People engaged in artisanal fisheries and small-scale aquaculture contribute significantly to food security, nutrition, poverty mitigation and the sustainable use of natural resources," said Julio Berdegué, FAO Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Fisheries and aquaculture
Fishing and aquaculture (artisanal and industrial) generate more than 2.8 million direct jobs and three times that number of indirect jobs in the region: almost 90% are linked to artisanal fishing.
At least 16% of the jobs associated with extractive fishing are held by women, according to FAO figures.
Artisanal fishing provides up to 85% of the fish consumed in some countries in the region and is also the basis of food security for hundreds of communities, many of them indigenous, living along the coasts and river basins.
International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture
The launch, held in a virtual event at the regional level, was attended by FAO Regional Representative Julio Berdegué and the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto S. Caesar.
Also participating were the president of the Latin American Union of Artisanal Fisheries, Zoila Bustamante; the president of the Network of Caribbean Fishermen's Organizations, Adrian La-Roda; the leader of small-scale mussel farming in Brazil, Felipe Matarazzo Suplicy; the representatives of Fundación Chinquihue in Chile, Alejandra Carevic, among other panelists.
More information:
Regional Launch of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022