This week, the first meeting of the newly created FAO Sub Committee Fisheries Management is being held virtually.
This Subcommittee was established at the last session (35th) of the Committee on Fisheries and will address essential technical and policy guidance on fisheries governance and management. For this first meeting, the subcommittee “will establish its groundwork, focusing on key topics like effective fisheries management tools and processes”. One of the topics on the agenda concerns the mainstreaming of biodiversity in fisheries management, in the context of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Small scale fishers, - who represent 90% of the world fishers, and are responsible for 40% of global fish catches-, have traditionally governed, conserved and sustainably managed ecosystems they depend on for their livelihoods. 14 organisations, representing small scale fishers’ organisations, environment, and development NGOs have issued a joint statement arguing that, “for these reasons, small-scale fishing communities as well as Indigenous Peoples deserve special consideration when looking at how to mainstream biodiversity in fisheries management”.
The joint statement recognizes that the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) ensures the full recognition and respect for artisanal fishers’ rights to resources, to meaningful participation, access to justice, and information related to biodiversity. They also emphasized that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the first environmental treaty to have a specific target on women’s rights.
However, it is the States’ responsibility to design policies that take these aspects into account. The signatories welcome the commitment by FAO to further support small scale fishers as resource stewards that conserve and sustainably use aquatic biodiversity. “We believe this should be done through the elaboration and implementation of transparent, participatory, gender-sensitive National Action Plans that recognize the essential role of local fishing communities and Indigenous Peoples for biodiversity conservation.”
“The new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) ensures the full recognition and respect for artisanal fishers’ rights to resources, to meaningful participation, access to justice, and information related to biodiversity and it is the States’ responsibility to design policies that take these aspects into account. ”
They further call on the FAO to support its members to 1) identify and recognize both existing and new community conservation initiatives, 2) improve information, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting mechanisms, and 3) mobilize resources to initiate and sustain these efforts.” These conservation initiatives should not take place in isolation, but should be considered as part of wider transparent, participative management processes which artisanal fishers are calling for”.
In an interview, Gaoussou Gueye, president of CAOPA, the African Confederation of Artisanal Fisheries Organisations, also signatory of the statement, added: “For example, in the framework of 30x30, States must take into account the social and economic costs of establishing a protected area for the artisanal fishing communities living in the vicinity.” For him, it is essential that fishers are involved in the development of the regulation of the activities that are allowed in these protected areas, and explained that there are already examples of initiatives where fishers are involved in comanagement, such as participatory surveillance.
In that context, FAO should also support member States, especially developing country Parties, with capacity building and appropriate technology transfer that can assist collective actions and community- and Indigenous Peoples-based monitoring and information systems and implement the SSF Call to Action and Rules of Conduct that emphasized the above requests.
The statement is available in English, French and Spanish.
Banner photo: The Bissau artisanal fisheries landing site, by Carmen Abd Ali.
Andre Standing, senior consultant at CFFA, discusses with researcher Arınç Onat Kılıç, who has recently published a paper exploring the Seychelles Blue Bond, its impact on local fishing communities and the broader implications of private finance for developing the blue economy.