The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium today inked a deal that will kick off a collaboration to improve social protection for small-scale fishers in Tunisia.
The agreement signed at FAO headquarters in Rome will see the California-based non-profit support a project to increase access to social security for fishers, focusing on the developing blue crab fishery in Tunisia.
Tackling the invasive blue crab challenge
Small-scale fishers in the North African country are facing challenges, including lately from the invasive blue crab, a non-indigenous species that damages nets and competes with native species, threatening the livelihoods of small-scale fishers.
In response, FAO has been turning this challenge into an opportunity by providing training, innovative traps, and developing a market for the crab, but protecting affected small-scale fishers remained a challenge.
Bridging the social protection gap
The developing blue crab fishery faces the same challenges as other small-scale fisheries, including a lack of social protection for workers. This includes not only the fishers and crab trappers but also those involved in processing and distribution. Many of these workers have no formal contracts, and are left out of formal social security systems, such as unemployment insurance, maternity benefits or pensions. Developing the fishery without these protections leaves the fishers vulnerable to the seasonal nature of their work and challenges its sustainability.
The collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium will support FAO’s work on the expansion of social protection coverage to the blue crab fishery. It will focus on understanding the barriers to and opportunities for securing access to social security and assistance as well as promoting labour market opportunities for small-scale fishers across the entire value chain.
The project will work with policymakers to advocate for a new fishery, with inclusive social security reforms, tailored to the needs of small-scale fishers and post-harvest workers. It will also implement training programmes to enhance employment prospects. Additionally, the project will partner with local groups, NGOs, and government agencies to raise awareness and provide resources to help fishers access social security and the job market.
“This strategic collaboration connects FAO’s work on ecological, economic and social sustainability of aquatic foods with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, an organization that inspires ocean conservation and sustainable ocean uses. The project also represents a step forward in ensuring that Tunisia’s small-scale fishers gain the social protection they deserve, improving livelihoods and building resilience in coastal communities,” said Manuel Barange, FAO Assistant Director General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.
International knowledge-sharing
Beyond Tunisia, in an example of south-south cooperation, the partnership will involve knowledge-sharing with the Philippines on linking small-scale fishers to alternative markets, such as hotels and local businesses. This will create better market access opportunities and improve conditions for fishers both locally and internationally. It further recognizes the importance of ensuring ecological, economic and social sustainability of fisheries.
This new partnership between FAO and the Monterey Bay Aquarium aligns closely with FAO’s Blue Transformation Strategy, which promotes sustainable, efficient, and inclusive blue food systems. It also supports FAO’s Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines, particularly around improving social protection, decent work opportunities, and strengthening small-scale fisheries, which are so important to Tunisia’s coastal communities.
The project funded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium will continue previous efforts by FAO, with support from Norway through the SocPro4Fish project, to raise awareness and ensure that social protection is more accessible to small-scale fishers.