Fisher and fishworker organizations

When fishers are able to join together their voices and impact are stronger. Discover how membership, co-ops, associations, and  organizations can advocate on behalf of small-scale fishers and improve governance. 

Resources

Comités Consultivos de Manejo y Ordenamiento Pesquero: guía para conocer, formar y operar un comité consultivo de manejo pesquero

El presente documento es una guía que reúne información, experiencias y recomendaciones sobre los Comités Consultivos de Manejo Pesquero (Comités Consultivos). Está dirigida principalmente a las personas que forman parte de una pesquería o región pesquera y se encuentran interesadas en participar en el manejo responsable y participativo de los recursos pesqueros.

Workshop Report: Financing Contexts of Locally Managed Marine Areas in WIO

Workshop report from CORDIO East Africa on the sustainable finance assessment protocol and the financing context of locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) in Kenya

Financing fisheries in Africa: Case studies from the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia

This brochure presents two case studies of institutions successfully providing financial services to small-scale fisheries in Africa. The two case studies were identified during a regional market demand and supply survey of financial service provision to small scale fishers, carried out by the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) and the Global network for capacity building to increase access of small-scale fisheries to financial services (CAFI-SSF).

Financing fisheries in Africa: Financial services provision to small-scale fisheries

This brochure presents the main findings of a survey held among financial services providers (FSPs) in Africa about their supply of services to small-scale fishers and aquaculture producers.

Unveiling women's roles and inclusion in Mexican small-scale fisheries (SSF)

The contributions of women to fisheries are often invisible, ignored, and unrecognized even though they represent 47% of the global fisheries workforce, especially in pre- and post-production activities. Poor data systems lead to incorrect assumptions about the gender division of labor in fisheries. This causes the role of women in fisheries to be overlooked. To evaluate the contribution of women in the value chain, a participatory methodology was implemented in three small-scale, fisheries in Mexico: California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fishery from the northern Mexican Pacific, penshell (Atrina maura) fishery from the Gulf of California, and Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery from the Mesoamerican Reef region.

Women's empowerment, collective actions, and sustainable fisheries: lessons from Mexico

Collective action is recognized as a key element to successfully implementing sustainable fisheries. Nevertheless, gender equality, as an essential component in such actions, is often missing. In fisheries, women’s contributions are regularly invisible and remain unrepresented in statistics. In this paper, we examine the current status of women in Mexican fisheries based on governmental reports and programs, as well as five case studies from small-scale fishing communities.

Social protection in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean

Taking into account the economic importance of this sector for small-scale producers, as well as its high degree of vulnerability, the aim of this report is to give an overview of the current state of social protection and challenges facing small-scale fishers and fish farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean. It analyses the social protection needs of this population segment, the main social protection programs in the region, and proposes a roadmap with public policy recommendations to promote adequate social protection.

Social protection for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean region

This review includes the findings of a desk study, complemented by consultation and validation missions, on social protection systems in place and available to small-scale fishers in Mediterranean riparian states, and it outlines the specific cases of five Mediterranean countries (Albania, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia), setting out best practices and sharing recommendations.

Strengthening organizations and collective action in fisheries: Towards the formulation of a capacity development program

This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, working group sessions and recommendations of the workshop “Strengthening organizations and collective action in fisheries: towards the formulation of a capacity development programme,” held in Barbados on 4–6 November 2014. The document also includes the nine in-depth case studies presented during the workshop and a contributed paper.

Cooperatives in small-scale fisheries: enabling successes through community empowerment

"Cooperatives in the small-scale fisheries sector are a way of maximizing long-term community benefits to deal with the threats of fisheries mismanagement, livelihood insecurity and poverty – harsh realities for many of the world’s small-scale fishers. Communities with successful community-based organizations are better off than those without (Ostrom, 1990). Successful cooperatives are possible, feasible and desirable and play an important role in community development. Cooperatives have the potential to empower small-scale fishers against environmental and socio-economic shocks such as catch shortfalls, sickness and death in their families, natural disasters and hunger.

The following case studies show how fisheries cooperatives contribute to improving the conditions of small-scale fishers around the globe."

Mexican Baja California FEDECOOP Benthic Species Territorial Use Rights for Fishing System

The Baja California Regional Federation of Fishing Cooperative Societies (FEDECOOP) is a Territorial Use Rights for Fishing (TURF) program in Mexico. FEDECOOP consists of 13 fishing Cooperatives that collectively manage 10 TURFs to promote sustainable harvests, increase market access and power and provide stability to fishermen and fishing communities.

Discussions

Ubaldo Tume

Nuestros antepasados se iniciaron con balsas (troncos flotantes, unidos por sogas y unos palos transversales que lo hacia una sola pieza y muy firme) y estos añadieron una pequeña vela para poder trasladarse de un lugar a otro y poder llevar el sustento a las familias desde aquel entonces los pes

Mitra Bentala

LOCAL DIALOGUE: A CHALLENGE FOR SMALL SCALE FISHERS FACING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE EAST LAMPUNG FISHING AREA

Mitra Bentala

Submission of Small Ship Documents, Distribution of Life Jackets and Health Screening for Small-Scale Fishermen

Mitra Bentala

Training on how to use and create an account at SSF (Small Scale Fisheries) Hub for Small Scale fishermen groups

Mitra Bentala

Alternative Business Development for Fishermen Groups in Muara Gading Mas Village, East Lampung - Indonesia

Mitra Bentala

PHOTO EXHIBITION AND PHOTOVOICE'S PROGRAM DISCUSSION

WOMEN FISHERMEN LAMPUNG PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE BLUE SWIMMING CRAB FISHERIES

Loc. Kuala Teladas Village and Sungai Burung Village, Tulang Bawang Regency, Lampung.

Mitra Bentala

Hello friends, let's watch how we conduct a field survey for the Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) fishing area on the east coast of Lampung.

Dani Meneses

Central America, November 1, 2021. A group of 12 young Costa Ricans working in small-scale artisanal fishing will contribute their experience and knowledge to the SSF HUB digital platform, which gathers information on small-scale fisheries in 19 countries worldwide.

Racelle Rescordado

Today the Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. and EDF Philippines officially launched the first SSF Hub in Brgy. Trinidad, Tubabao Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines, with the Organisasyon ng Mangingisda ng Trinidad (OMANGAT).

Tamzin_K

Join the International Pole and Line Foundation for our 90-minute presentation and discussion as we launch our latest campaign, 'Reimagine Tuna; Leaving No-One Behind'.