JOINT PRESS RELEASE
● Small-scale fisheries are small in name only. Half a billion people – 7% of the global population – are at least partly dependent on them for food, employment and income. They are the largest group of ocean users, have contributed the least to the ocean emergency, and are among the most affected by it. Yet their needs, roles and rights are often ignored, and they are generally sidelined or excluded from major policy discussions that directly affect their lives and livelihoods.
● At the UN Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Lisbon, small-scale fishers are calling on decision-makers to listen to them, consult with them and include them more in policy-making and discussions.
● The conference presents a critical opportunity to find a more equitable approach to managing the world’s oceans and to enshrine human rights in the UN’s aim to “mobilise action and start a new chapter of global ocean action”.
● Small-scale fishing organisations from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific are holding an event on 28 June to launch their call to action at the UN Ocean Conference. Come to the event: ‘A call to action from artisanal fishing communities, vital users of the oceans’.
Small-scale fishers are the largest group of ocean users on the planet, and their fisheries provide food or income to half a billion people. Yet in decision-making processes, their needs often come second to large corporate interests, and they are generally excluded from policy decisions that disproportionately affect their lives and livelihoods.
Without solid action now, the Lisbon conference threatens to further undermine community interests. UNOC’s final draft declaration, entitled ‘Our ocean, our future, our responsibility’, fails to recognise the vast contribution that small-scale fisheries make to food security, employment, income and ocean protection and even endorses initiatives that may undermine this vital role. The declaration emphasises the intention to ‘develop and promote innovative financing solutions to drive the transformation to sustainable ocean-based economies’. But we don’t see how proposed initiatives could benefit coastal and fishing communities.
“We are concerned about the marginalisation of small-scale fisheries within the blue economy strategies of our countries. We cannot survive if we have to compete with powerful, polluting, and environmentally destructive sectors in the marine and coastal environment. Do not give the green light to a destructive blue economy!””
Sweeping proclamations urging 'global ocean action' are meaningless if they fail to ensure inclusion of the biggest group of ocean users. This is why we are calling on decision-makers to involve coastal communities and small-scale fishers’ organisations more in important decision-making spaces like UNOC, and to adopt a human rights-based approach to marine conservation. We want to see development policies that prioritise support for small-scale fisheries in UNOC discussions and declaration, and beyond.
Small-scale fishers from five continents have launched a global call to action to ensure their voices are heard by decision-makers at UNOC. They are asking governments and world leaders to protect and increase support for small-scale fisheries.
They are calling on decision-makers to:
Urgently secure preferential access and increase co-management of coastal areas
Guarantee and promote the participation of women in fisheries
Protect small-scale fisheries from competing blue economy sectors
Increase transparency and accountability in fisheries management
Increase support to communities, especially young people, to deal with the consequences of climate change
The signatories of the joint press release
The below are the signatories of the Joint Press Release. All these organisations support the Call to Action from small-scale fisheries. You can also support here.
