Abstract

Millions of people around the world depend on small-scale fisheries for their health, livelihoods and culture, but small-scale fisheries are vulnerable to the persistent threats they face such as the impacts of climate change, overfishing, and lack of representation in policy discussions and decision-making processes. Small-scale fisheries provide an important livelihood, especially in developing countries, with approximately 120 million people employed and women constituting almost half of the workforce. Furthermore, 90% of harvest from small-scale fisheries goes to human consumption, providing hundreds of millions of the world’s people a source of food and essential micronutrients. Nevertheless, according to the FAO, the World Bank and WorldFish’s study Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries, “small-scale fishing commu-nities are among the poorest and most afflicted with social ills.” Their contributions to achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), national economies, food systems, and community well-being have largely gone unrecognized. As we’ve seen over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a range of new challenges and risks for the communities that depend on fisheries — from regulations limiting fishing activity to supply chain disrup-tions putting the health and sustenance of fishers and their families at further risk.

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