The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has released the latest edition of its popular fisheries publication, SAMUDRA Report, its triannual journal on fisheries, communities and livelihoods. SAMUDRA Report No. 74, dated August 2016, features articles on fisheries from around the world, notably Russia, India, Myanmar, St. Kitts and Nevis, South Africa and the Mekong region, as well as reports and analyses on Blue Growth, small-scale fisheries and various official and independent efforts to secure the sector, and other matters that deal with the livelihood issues of small-scale fishing communities. The article from Russia details the efforts of the indigenous peoples of the Kamchatka Peninsula to fight for their rights, while how marginalized local fishing communities in Goa have been hemmed in by development is the focus of the India article. Sea moss farming offers alternative livelihoods in the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, points out another piece, while the article from Myanmar highlights the potential for the country to use its fisheries and aquaculture sector for inclusive growth. From South Africa comes a report on how small-scale fishing communities in the country have to cope with unequal power relations. Another report on a regional workshop on securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Lower Mekong Region (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar) identified issues and action points that need to be addressed. There are also several reports in the current issue. One is on Blue Growth: Motivating Innovations in Aquatic Information Management, organized by the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centres (IAMSLIC). Another is on the 32nd Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), which held elaborate discussions in July 2014 on Agenda Item 9: Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries. The current issue also carries the statement from the CSO Regional Consultation, held on 2nd and 3rd May, 2016, prior to the FAO’s 30th Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia (ERC) in Antalya, Turkey, which called for constructive dialogue to increase the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) in policy-making processes and the monitoring of policy implementation. How the People’s Manual on the Guidelines on Governance of Land, Fisheries and Forests can be a useful tool for CSOs was the topic of one article, while another pointed to the dangers of ceding concessions to big environmental NGOs (BINGOs) without proper monitoring. The issue of funding challenges has been addressed in a piece on the Marine Stewardship Council Global Sustainability Fund, which is claimed to help small-scale fisheries. The value of small-scale inland fisheries in its ability to provide essential protein, micronutrients, vitamins and fats for millions of people, particularly in developing countries, has been analyzed in detail in the opening article of SAMUDRA Report No. 74. The editorial Comment in the current issue argues that greater visibility and recognition of inland fisheries could redeem small-scale fishers and fishworkers from being amongst the most impoverished class of community. The Roundup section of the issue carries news, fisheries statistics, notices and announcements. SAMUDRA Report No. 74 can be acessed at http://demo2.icsf.net/en/samudra/article/EN/74.html?limitstart=0
2016 ICSF