The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has just published the latest issue of SAMUDRA Report, its triannual journal on fisheries, communities and livelohoods. The current edition, SAMUDRA Report No. 84, dated December 2020, features a range of articles from countries around the world like Peru, Kiribati, Belize, France, the Philippines, Brazil, Ghana, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.The issue also carries articles that discuss small-scale fisheries (SSF) and the SSF Guidelines, the ocean economy, tourism and labour rights, among other topics.
The editorial Comment in SAMUDRA Report No. 84 discusses the FAO-SSF Umbrella Programme that offers a platform to provide direction for the formulation of small-scale fisheries policies, strategies and legislation in many developing countries.
The article from India reports on a first-of-its-kind survey in coastal Andhra Pradesh that reveals the peculiar vulnerabilities and demands of migrant fishworkers.
Small-scale fishworkers face many challenges in Peru, says another article, but the government pays little attention to the informal and uncontrolled sector.
The piece from Kiribati points out that vulnerability to climate change has forced the Pacific republic to build resilience through community approaches to fisheries management.
A study of three fishing communities in Belize, according to another report, shows that only with empowerment can women occupy positions of power in fisheries cooperatives.
The article from France reports that confronted with plans for an offshore wind farm, the fishers of the Bay of Saint Brieuc are clamouring for their rights to be respected and guaranteed.
Another article announces the sreation of a new virtual platform for knowledge sharing and engagement that collates experiences and stories from small-scale fishery actors around the world.
From the Philippines comes a piece which argues that coastal communities cannot transition from fishing to tourism when land tenure rights are weak.
The creation of an inclusive, equitable and sustainable ocean economy calls for bold political
and social leadership, based on a holistic relationship with our ocean planet.
Also reproduced is a statement from 16 small-scale organizations, titled “Call to the European Commission”, which calls for an inclusive oceans strategy to secure sustainable fishing communities.
The article from Brazil reports on a seminar that discussed how the SSF Guidelines can help improve the management of a fish species in the Amazon rainforest territory, while that from Ghana argues that the implementation of the Guidelines should be based on human-rights principles and
standards, factoring in local conditions.
The piece from Myanmar points to a planned national network that will share information and knowledge on the SSF Guidelines to a wider audience of fishery-related stakeholders.
The plight of fishworkers on board vessels engaged in commercial fishing operations in the Philippines calls for regulating their conditions of work and providing protection benefits, says another article.
The article from Sri Lanka points out that incorporating the SSF Guidelines into the national fisheries policy requires several rounds of engagement with state and community stakeholders.
Some valuable lessons—a replicable model—on protection of aquatic resources and small-scale
fisheries are offered in the article from Vietnam.
The current issue also carries two obituaries on (i) T Peter, an Indian activist and organizer, and (ii) Jeremy Herklots, a pathbreaking technologist and boatbuilder.
The Roundup section of SAMUDRA Report No. 84 carries news snippets, event announcements, briefings on fishery-related matters, and more.
SAMUDRA Report No. 84 can be accessed at:
https://demo2.icsf.net/en/samudra/article/EN/84.html?limitstart=0
ICSF is an international NGO that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just,self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector.
For more, please visit demo2.icsf.net
2021 ICSF