Living on the edge of land, coastal fishing communities have to often deal with major natural disasters. When at sea, fishers risk dangers of unpredictable weather. The vulnerability of small-scale fishers results not merely from such risks but also their marginal social and political state.
Natural disasters do not discriminate. They hit all who come in range. How people cope with their assault and how they recover from their destruction, though, is a completely different story. Social standing, financial viability, political and environmental conditions—they all determine the vulnerability and ability to recover.
Already under the threat of pollution, biodiversity loss and increasing competition for resources, climate change has further endangered them in both marine and inland fisheries. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent. They occur with increasing intensity and destructive force. This is exactly what climate scientists have been projecting.
Ockhi, a tropical deep depression in the Indian Ocean off southern India, intensified into a cyclonic storm on November 29, 2017. It savaged fishers out at sea over four days, killing more than 350, injuring many, destroying vessels and fishing gear.
The tsunami on December 26, 2004, followed the most powerful earthquake in 40 years underwater near Indonesia. It sent a 40-foot-high wall of water barrelling at high speed, crashing into the coasts rimming the Indian Ocean. Killing more than 250,000 in six countries. Fishers were the worst hit.
Climate change has reduced the viability of fishing operations across the board, especially hitting women, who have to pick after everybody else. Rising sea levels, the changing physical and chemical state of the marine waters, the resulting effects on marine species, increasing competition over scarce resources…
All efforts to mitigate climate change must be based on studying their social impacts. Managing these risks and adapting to them requires financial and technological transformation. Monitoring of the effects of climate change is as important as compensation from human-made disasters like pollution, oil spills with compensation. Human rights is the cornerstone of dealing with this challenge, demanding a focus on the most vulnerable.
ICSF is undertaking a range of initiatives to highlight the social and political dimensions of disasters and climate change, particularly of Covid-19. It also draws attention to the impact of climate change on fisheries resources and on fishing communities and advocate for appropriate and socially-just adaptation and mitigation measures. In December 2020, Covid-19 had spread to over 200 countries and resulted in the deaths of over 1.3 million people. As the coronavirus remerged in second and third waves in many parts of the world, ICSF undertook case studies in four countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Mozambique – to document the impacts of the pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable small-scale fishing communities, particularly in the marine and inland capture fisheries value chain. While lockdowns and the restrictions on movement of people and goods disrupted fish production and supply chains, the economic slowdown and reduced incomes led to a decline in demand for aquatic foods. Small-scale fisheries contribute significantly to domestic food security and livelihoods, and this is especially true in the selected countries. In this context, the studies examined whether pandemic control measures reduced access to fish and aquatic foods for low-income and vulnerable populations. Covid-19 also impacted small-scale fishers and fish vendors’ access to domestic and international markets. In the countries that were able to provide social protection measures, the case studies analyze their effectiveness and inclusivity of fisher and fishworker families. Today, the Covid-19 case count is over 164 million and nearly 3.5 million people have lost their lives. While the four countries had witnessed relatively low rates of infection at the time of the studies, some are now experiencing a sharp rise in infections and fatalities. Thus, small-scale fisheries need support to adapt and recover from Covid-19, to protect lives and livelihoods and to enhance their contributions to food security.
Small-scale fishing communities are often some of the most vulnerable communities to disaster risks and climate change. This short, animated video shows impacts on small-scale fisheries – and what can...
The World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March, 2020. Two weeks later, a nationwide lockdown was announced in India, to ensure consistency in the application and...
The National Workshop held from 29 to 30 May, 2018 at Thiruvananthapuram, India brought together 68 participants from India representing the fishing community, fishworker organisations, civil society organisations, governments, multilateral...
This study examines how coastal engineering structures such as seawalls, groynes and breakwaters have had a long term impact on the coast and traditional small-scale fisheries in Kerala. https://icsf.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/930.ICSF020.pdf
Shot in Kakinada in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and in Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, the film explores the perceptions of the traditional fishworkers to the...
Through consultations with key fisheries-based stakeholders in four States of India, this study attempts to assess perceptions of fishing communities about the impact of climate change on their lives and...
The review looks at the Climate Change scenario for India and the impacts of climate change on the fishery resources and the coastal community depending on fish for their livelihood...
The section on Environmental Pollution provides information on instruments relating to pollution of the marine environment by ships and land–based sources, and on climate change and the ozone layer. Included...
The workshop was co-hosted by the NGO Instituto Terramar. The document gives a detailed report of the presentations and discussions transpired in the workshop. It is also worth noting that...
This dossier puts together various articles and information that is likely to be of relevance to those engaged with rehabilitation of fisheries-based livelihoods in Tamil Nadu, the state in India...
The litany of temperature records goes on: August 2024 marked the 15th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures. Rapid climate action is needed more than ever and the UN Climate...
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established its Financial Mechanism to facilitate the provision and transfer of resources from developed to developing countries. The Global Environment Facility...
The Maldives’ economy relies heavily on tourism and fisheries, two sectors that comprise nearly half of the nation’s GDP and employment. These crucial industries are facing severe risks due to...
The World Social Protection Report 2024-26 focuses on the climate crisis and the need to transition to a more sustainable world, and provides a global overview of progress made around...
Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of...
The WMO State of the Climate in Asia 2023, is the fourth edition of climate reports published annually for this region and has involved National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs),...
Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and part of the Lower Mekong River region. Cambodia faces a high level...
Fisher-people are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change due to their vulnerable location, positioned as they are between the impacts from the landward and seaward sides. This...
Developing policies to foster inclusive rural transformation processes requires better evidence on how climate change is affecting the livelihoods and economic behaviours of vulnerable rural people, including women, youths and...
This magazine is based on contributions from secretariats of regional fisheries management organizations, regional fisheries advisory bodies, permanent observers and related networks and partners, as well as colleagues from FAO...