On the occasion of the 35th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI, which is taking place during the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, fisheries organizations from six continents have identified five priority areas of action for members of the FAO towards 2030.
The 35th session of COFI (5-9 September), as well as the preceding Small-Scale Fisheries Summit (2-4 September), will celebrate the women and men of artisanal fisheries, the most numerous users of the ocean, and whose major contributions to livelihoods, employment, food security and incomes, contrast with their marginalization in decisionmaking.
The governments’ meeting at COFI will discuss, in particular, the support to be given to small-scale fishing . In this International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, fishers from Africa, the Pacific, Central and South America, Asia and Europe have identified five areas of action for governments that, in dialogue with the artisanal fishing communities of their countries, offer a sustainable future to these communities by 2030:
For the implementation of these priorities, rooted in the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), the establishment of a permanent dialogue between governments and fishing communities is essential. Therefore, we support FAO in its efforts to sustain mechanisms for dialogue between governments, with the active participation of fishers, on the implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
The issue of the Blue Economy will also be on the agenda. The latest report on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture (SOFIA 2022) is entitled “Towards a Blue Transformation” . The growth of the Blue Economy is scaring small-scale fishers today, as their livelihoods are threatened by competition and negative impacts from more powerful maritime and land-based industries, such as gas and oil, tourism, as well as industrial aquaculture. Thus, when FAO commits to “ensure that the intensification and expansion of sustainable aquaculture continues to meet the global demand for aquatic food”, we think of the significant damage caused to our communities by intensive aquaculture dependent on fishmeal, such as salmon or shrimp farming, which destroys our coasts and our resources. For us, it is the precautionary approach that must take precedence. No new use of the oceans should be permitted or supported if it negatively impacts aquatic ecosystems or the communities that depend on them for life.
COFI will also discuss mainstreaming biodiversity into the fisheries and aquaculture sector . Artisanal fisheries support conservation initiatives, as long as they recognize and protect local communities’ rights of ownership, occupation, access and use of resources, prioritizing participatory governance systems. Strategies for the protection and sustainable management of the environment must also go beyond the slogan “30% of the oceans protected by 2030”.There is a need to address the drivers of resource degradation and biodiversity loss that also affect the remaining 70%, and we stress the urgency of implementing a rights-based approach to marine conservation.
Artisanal fishing communities are on the frontline of those experiencing the impacts of climate change: loss of coral reefs, mangroves and other key habitats, sea level rise, coastal erosion, increased frequency and intensity of storms, reduction in catches, and invasive species. This has direct consequences on our livelihoods and on people’s food security. The FAO Action Plan on Climate Change will, of course, be an important element in responding to this situation. We insist that in this framework, permanent and transparent consultative governance structures involving representatives of small-scale fisheries be put in place, to provide an effective and appropriate response to disasters and emergencies after extreme climatic events, ensuring that sufficient funds are provided, and transparently managed at the local level.
The issues that will be discussed at COFI 35 are of paramount importance for the future of artisanal fishing. It is essential that the women and men of artisanal fisheries participate fully in a fair and equitable dialogue, and that the participation of the communities concerned leads to joint action.