You’re probably already aware of the social, economic, and environmental challenges large-scale industrial fishing poses. You may even know about the progress being made to move the seafood industry toward sustainability.
What you probably don’t know, is how significant small-scale, artisanal fisheries are in the sustainable seafood movement, and the challenges they face.
Sustainability Challenges of Small-Scale Fisheries
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that small-scale fisheries are responsible for 50% of total fish caught in developing countries, but less than 10% of these fisheries are managed sustainably. While industrial fisheries have seen tremendous progress toward sustainability over the last 15 years, small-scale fisheries represent a significant challenge that makes up a bigger piece of the puzzle than most realize.
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A small-scale fishery, aka artisanal, is a traditional fishing industry made up mostly of households within a community, as opposed to commercial companies. Characteristics of a small-scale fishery include:
- a relatively small amount of capital needed to enter the fishery
- fishing vessels are relatively small
- fishing trips are short and local
- the catch is primarily for local consumption
Why Small-Scale Fisheries Need To Be Managed
Didn’t small-scale, community-based fisheries subsist for thousands of years? What’s changed?
First, we must note the importance of small-scale fisheries in developing communities. Fisheries are often the main source of sustenance and livelihoods to the communities of their fishermen and their collapse may mean an environmental and economic collapse of their community.
Second, while it is true that local subsistence fisheries have historically been managed successfully by their community members, a few factors of the modern world have changed the dynamic between communities and their fisheries.
Technology - the introduction of technologies such as motors, advanced nets, and other mechanisms have enabled much higher levels of extraction of fish.
Global Markets - in many cases local fisheries are now either producing for more than their own local community and/or are competing with commercial fisheries that have moved into their waters.
Population - increasing populations are increasing the demand for seafood, especially in developing countries where seafood is often a primary source of protein.
As long as small-scale fisheries continue to be impacted by global trends, they will need a new approach that meets the changing landscape.
Sustainability: Small-Scale Fisheries vs Commercial Fisheries
Most large-scale fisheries have seen more progress toward sustainability because of cultural and market pressures. Small-scale fisheries, on the other hand, have not received as much attention.
The three biggest driving factors for change in large markets are:
Economic - Certifications communicating the sustainability of seafood raises the perceived value of the product and commands a higher price.
A 2014 Swedish study showed a 10% higher price for MSC certified cod fillets vs non-certified fillets. In most cases it is in the interest of stakeholders within the supply chain to achieve a certification, therefore commanding a higher price for their catch.
Cultural - On average, an industrial fishery has a considerably larger footprint than a small-scale fishery. From an environmental conservation point of view it makes sense to tackle problems in the largest fisheries first.
Some of the negative externalities created by commercialized fishing include:
- Bycatch
- Environmental degradation
- Unfair labor
- Overfishing
Media coverage related to “where your seafood comes from” drives awareness and action from seafood buyers, NGOs, and governments to move toward economic and environmental sustainability.
Geographic - Well-managed industrial fisheries are frequently found in northern latitudes in fisheries that target a single species (eg. salmon and cod). These single species fisheries are well-suited to environmental certification standards because they have a large consumer base and are easier to regulate than fisheries with a large variety of catch. Small-scale fisheries in tropical and subtropical oceans tend to target a large number of different species.
Small-scale fisheries face some of the same risks of commercial fisheries, as well as a host of unique challenges, but have not received the same level of attention. In addition, because small-scale fisheries play such a large role in their local economies, communities are more at risk.
What Are The Consequences of Mismanagement?
Mismanagement affects communities on multiple levels and can create a negative feedback loop, sending the health of communities into a downward spiral:
Environmental Stability - The negative environmental effects are local and regional. The most common risks include:
- Overfishing - Depletion of fish populations to a point where they can no longer regenerate.
- Damage to ecosystems - Fishing practices that damage ecosystems, such as blast fishing, can cause irreparable damage.
- Downstream affects - depletion of fish stocks and/or ecosystem damage also impacts other species such as coral, birds, and sea mammals that rely on those resources.
Depletion of natural resources takes the food and income source away from local communities which can lead to both economic and social turbulence.
Economic Stability - Declining fish populations brings hard times for a community that relies on their catch for food and income. In an effort to meet their needs, fishermen may resort to more aggressive fishing techniques which in turn results in less fish and the need for even more aggressive fishing. Declining fishery production can also negatively impact land-based resources - leading to higher rates of deforestation - as community members look elsewhere for sources of food and income.
An inability to rely on the primary resource your family depends on for food and income causes considerable stress within the community.
Social Stability - The pressures to make ends meet in a struggling economy translates into more crime and a lower quality of life.
Many small-scale fisheries are already suffering from social and environmental issues that are symptoms of mismanagement.
How To Solve Management of Small-Scale Fisheries
There is no one-size fits all solution for sustainably managing small-scale fisheries, but there may be a model that can help each community develop a tailored management plan.
Understanding The Management Challenges of Small-Scale Fisheries
Most artisanal fisheries have a large number of small boats which creates a unique challenge in the three key areas of fishery management:
- Organization - it’s difficult to gain consensus on the needs of all stakeholders
- Regulation - it’s harder to regulate a fleet of 10,000 independent fishing boats than it is to manage a fleet of 100 industrial fishing boats
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Reporting - it’s harder to collect and verify the catch data needed to model and manage a fishery when there are so many different sources
Unless the community comes together for shared management of the local resources, tragedy of the commons is inevitable.
To properly manage small-scale fisheries we need to understand them first.
- What is the value they provide to the community (economically and socially)?
- What does a sustainable fishery look like in this particular region (every fishery is different)
- What’s the economic value it can provide?
After understanding the fishery and corresponding supply chain, stakeholders can come to a consensus on ways to monitor and manage their shared resource for long-term value for all parties.
The Current Method: FIPs & Certifications
These questions and the organization of fisheries stakeholders have historically been answered via Certification Schemes and FIPs – Fishery Improvement Projects. While trends show these methods have worked well to improve sustainability of industrial fisheries, they also show these methods fall short when applied to small-scale fisheries.
Certifications
The two big mismatches that disqualify certifications from being a valid solution for small-scale fisheries lie in the core difference of the end seafood buyer.
Mismatch 1: Certification Utility for Buyer - Certifications have been designed to help the seafood buyer get more information about how their seafood was caught. This is helpful for someone in a city who is disconnected from the source of their food, but isn’t as applicable to local markets which represent over 90% of seafood consumption in developing countries.
Mismatch 2: Implementation Costs - The monitoring and quality control requirements for certifications make them expensive. While it is a worthwhile investment at a large-scale operation, for artisanal fishermen it is not practical. And the value of the certification is diminished in a local market where buyers are less interested in the certification.
To learn more about seafood certifications, see this quick guide to seafood certifications.
While certifications don’t offer a translatable solution, FIPs do… with a few adjustments.
Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs)
FIPs were also designed for large-scale fisheries but do offer a better solution for small-scale operations. Cost and implementation are also challenges for FIPs, but as we will see, these challenges are already being addressed.
How FIPs Work
FIPs bring together stakeholders within the supply chain to reach consensus on better management of their fishery. This can include:
- retailers
- processors
- producers
- fishermen
- NGOs
The result is a plan to reach sustainability, which all stakeholders within the fishery can follow. Data collection, monitoring, and regulation are all set up through the FIP. Achieving various certifications can be part of a FIP plan, but is not required.
FIPs are most often initiated and led by an NGO like Ocean Outcomes, which specializes in developing and implementing FIPs on behalf of the stakeholders within the fishery. They can also be started and managed by any other party within the fishery, but require buy-in from the majority of stakeholders.
The FIPs model of fishery management has gained considerable traction since its implementation. The number of FIPs has grown exponentially over the last 15 years.
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(CEA pg. 6) 2020 Global Landscape Review of Fishery Improvement Projects
The majority of FIPs have been created to manage large-scale operations, but in the last five years more FIPs have been initiated in small-scale fisheries, following the success of larger projects.
The FIP Challenge
As with certifications, the original FIP model is a mismatch for small-scale fisheries which diminishes their chance for success.
These are some of the main challenges the model mismatch is facing:
Improvement Focus - Initial FIP models are primarily focused on solving environmental issues and reaching certification for seafood buyers in the destination market. Small-scale fisheries have a need for more social and economic solutions that will directly impact their community and quality of life.
Reporting & Regulation Framework - Industrial fleets are more consolidated and have fewer actors to engage/regulate. Artisanal fleets have more actors, making reporting and regulation more challenging.
Investment Incentives - Large markets are driven by clear economic incentives that make sense at scale. The startup cost of setting up the organizational structure is paid back when the seafood is sold at a higher market price. The startup cost for small-scale fisheries can be just as high, but the return on investment for the parties involved is not as great.
Top-Down Governance - The majority of commercial fleets are operated out of developed countries with established policy and regulation for fisheries. This type of top-down governance is missing in many developing countries where the majority of small-scale fisheries operate, leaving little to no foundation for FIPs to improve.
FIPs Plus: The New Model
Adapting the FIP model to meet the unique needs of varying small communities may be a viable solution and is already seeing some traction.
The New – Triple Impact Fisheries Evaluation Framework
The new approach addresses the challenges of the traditional FIPs model by:
- Providing solutions for current shortcomings
- Including a mechanism for further improvement (by being open source)
Key Characteristics of The New Framework
Affordability - Designing the framework in a way that allows FIPs to use simpler models brings down the startup cost that currently prevents FIPs from initiating in small-scale fisheries.
Adaptability - The new model is open source, allowing any community to use the framework, adjust it, and report back on their results. This increases the speed of learning and chance for success of future FIPs adopters.
Inclusivity - The new FIP model places more emphasis on the social and economic areas which are so critical to small-scale fisheries.
Here’s a glimpse into the design of the new framework:
It’s employed with “Rapid Assessments” covering 3 key areas of sustainability for small-scale fisheries:
- Environmental Rapid Assessment – allows for a manageable evaluation process of the environmental sustainability of a fishery that can be deployed by artisanal fisheries.
- Social Responsibility Assessment – includes a social component that is more comprehensive than the large-scale FIP framework.
- Financial Rapid Assessment - provides a framework for evaluating and managing the economic needs of stakeholders within a small-scale fishery.
This “Triple Impact” FIP model is in its infancy, only having been introduced by Ocean Outcomes, Conservation International, SmartFish AC and Wilderness Markets in 2018. However, the model is being successfully piloted in at least 2 locations including Mexico and Costa Rica.
What Does This Mean for The Seafood Buyer?
For those of us in developed countries who buy our seafood in markets, we aren’t closely connected to small-scale fisheries. But, this doesn’t preclude us from supporting a more sustainable industry.
You can support the sustainable seafood initiative in two ways:
- Support the sustainable seafood movement with your purchasing power. That may mean buying certified sustainable Seafood or buying local. The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Guide, which provides you with a simple rating system and clear options to buy or avoid. They even have guides specific to seafood types and sources (eg. West, East, ect.)
- Support the work of the NGOs that are dedicated to solving challenges of small-scale fisheries. You can donate, volunteer, or promote the nonprofits leading the charge. See a list of the NGOs working on the new FIPs solution below.
The organizations working specifically on the new FIP model include:
Written by David Evans.
David Evans is a freelance writer covering sustainability challenges and solutions. He writes to help companies and consumers understand the environmental and ethical challenges in products and their supply chains so we can find viable solutions for both. See more of David’s writing at: Plastic.Education