From the Editor
Greetings! We are pleased to bring you the 25th issue of Yemaya, featuring articles from Asia, Europe and Latin America. This issue covers a wide terrain for women in fisheriesfrom personal accounts of struggle to stories of collective action.
The article from Uruguay, for instance, profiles two extraordinary women who have made a mark as successful seafarers. And from Calhoun, Texas, comes an inspiring film, documented in this issue, about another indomitable fisherwoman, viewed by the establishment as Public Enemy No.1.
Moving from the personal to the political, the article from the Pacific Islands discusses the systemic changes needed to bring a tangible difference to the lives of the millions of women engaged in fisheries in rural areas. The piece from the Phillipines, a review of policies related to women in fisheries, points to the additional steps needed to ensure gender justice in policy formulation.
In some cases, as the story from Chile highlights, women are taking control of their own lives to bring about change. A co-operative venture in Pisagua, notorious as the killing fields under the Pinochet regime, demonstrates how fisherwomen are converting the challenges in their caleta into opportunities.
The report from the European Union describes another dynamic and successful effort in co-operationthe Second Conference and the Second General Body meeting of AKTEA: European Network of Women’s Organizations in Fisheries and Aquaculture, which took place in Northern Ireland in April, providing an opportunity for women in European fisheries to share a common platform and strengthen bonds of solidarity.
The article from Brazil discusses the structural issues and disparate interests that are hindering the functioning of the National Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CONAPE). And finally, from India comes an analysis of how the neoliberal reforms being pushed by the government in the name of coastal management threaten to jeopardize the livelihood security of fishing communities, with a particularly pernicious impact on women and coastal ecosystems.
As always, we invite you to share with us your experiences and stories related to women in fisheries and fishing communities. Please send us articles for the next issue of Yemaya by 15 September 2007. You can reach us at icsf@icsf.net
