Statement delivered by Laitia Tamata on behalf of the signatories on agenda item #4 – “State of world fisheries and aquaculture and progress in the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the related instruments”
Taking Small Scale Fisheries into consideration in fisheries management through a human rights based approach
The FAO’s report “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024” illustrates the growing difficulties a significant proportion of the world’s population faces in accessing sufficient and healthy food. In the coming decades, the global population will increase significantly, particularly in the poorest countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Given this increased demand, we echo the FAO’s call for intensified action to support the contribution of sustainable aquatic systems to food and nutritional security, while promoting the equitable distribution of benefits and environmental conservation. In this context, a new narrative that incorporates a holistic approach and that recognizes small-scale fishing as a way of life is needed. Small-scale fishing has a central role to play, with appropriate management approaches and tools, in this regard.
In our view, this necessitates a human rights-based approach, as outlined in the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication. These guidelines ensure responsible fisheries management while promoting social development, gender equality, and the rights of small-scale fishing communities, particularly regarding tenure and access to resources. We believe the most appropriate approach prioritises transparent, collaborative management programmes that are sensitive to gender considerations and guarantee respect for the land and access rights of small-scale fishing communities.
To address the unequal distribution of benefits, the over-exploitation of resources and the destruction of ecosystems, particularly in coastal areas, artisanal fishers have called for closing inshore areas. These closed areas should secure priority access and tenure rights to small-scale fisheries and reduce the impact of other destructive and polluting activities: industrial fisheries and other blue economy sectors, such as offshore energy production, tourism, large-scale aquaculture, and fishmeal factories. These areas reserved for artisanal fishers should further be fully co-managed, putting in place specific legal frameworks that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the authorities and fishers. Sufficient and appropriate support should be provided for fishing communities to engage in co-management (including compensation for expenses incurred related to participatory surveillance and closed fishing seasons) and for protecting these zones from other competing industries.
Recognizing the key role of women in fisheries and co-management and enhancing their status and capabilities, are essential. It is also vital to ensure they are given equal opportunities for effective and meaningful participation in fisheries management, including in the drafting of national and regional fisheries management policies.
Fisheries management on its own will not ensure sustainable fisheries
However, in a context where blue economy is booming, fisheries management on its own will not guarantee sustainable fisheries. The precautionary approach, transparency and effective participation of small-scale fishing communities should guide any new ocean use. This means any new ocean use that will negatively impact ecosystems and the local communities that depend on them for their livelihoods should not be welcomed. When it comes to maritime spatial planning, which is promoted as a way to organize and manage the occupation and use of the ocean by the various users , it will be key to develop, with the utmost transparency and with the meaningful exercise of human rights including full and effective participation of affected coastal communities, mechanisms for: (1) free, prior and informed consent, (2) independent social and environmental impact assessments, (3) consultation which allows for informed and active participation of affected fishing communities, (4) conflict resolution between users of maritime spaces, and (5) grievance redress. To support this, adequate provision should be included in national budgets for enforcement of environmental regulation, including the implementation of international and regional laws and conventions, before any new ocean use is allowed.
Improving data collection on environmental and social aspects of SSF
We welcome the emphasis proposed on the need to broaden current practices of fisheries management to include ecological, social, economic, nutritional and gender objectives. A first step to achieve this will be to collect gender disaggregated data to, on the one hand, highlight the contributions of small-scale fisheries to food and nutrition security, livelihoods, conservation. On the other hand, data should also be collected to highlight specific needs to be met to enhance the social well-being of communities, like casualties at sea and in processing activities, to enhance work safety and overall working conditions and social protection, including availability of child care, sanitation, and rest facilities. Furthermore, the importance of traditional, local, and experiential knowledge should be reflected through its incorporation into formal data collection systems.
The lack of data is also apparent in inland small-scale fisheries. Thus, there is a need to beter document these fisheries, their contributions, and the challenges they face, so that they can be recognized and supported at a national and international level.
In case data of importance to fisheries management already exists, such as information related to various access arrangements entered into by coastal countries with fleets of foreign origin, the publication, to the minimum standards of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), of all relevant information, including legislation, fishing authorizations, data on performance and the rationale for management regulations is important.
RFMO for small pelagics
We fully support the proposal to develop a roadmap for ensuring that one hundred percent of marine and inland fisheries are placed under effective management, with the objective to deliver healthy fish stocks and secure equitable livelihoods. We recall, given the looming food crisis, in particular in developing countries, and the key role fish plays in human nutrition, an additional objective should be to maximize the contribution of these fisheries to food security.
In the light of this, we call for resource access allocation systems to give priority access to those who fish most sustainably from an environmental and socio-economic point of view, who distribute the benefits from fishing in the most equitable manner, and who contribute most to food security, prioritizing fish for human consumption rather than for the reduction value chain (for fishmeal and fish oil).
In its efforts to ensure all fisheries are under effective management, we believe that the establishment of a new RFMO for the management of small pelagics in West Africa should be a priority, as these shared resources, some of which are considered over-exploited, constitute an essential pillar of food security in the region.
Signatories:
