The International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) has issued the following Statement in response to COFI agenda item 12:
Dear COFI Members and observers,
The rapid expansion of industrial aquaculture in inland and coastal areas has contributed to the violation and denial of the human rights of small-scale fishing communities and Indigenous Peoples. Industrial aquaculture projects have caused conflict in communities, by dispossessing peoples of access to fisheries territories and resources, disrupting our local markets, and negatively impacting our livelihoods and food security.
We therefore call upon governments to ensure that aquaculture is not being developed at the expense of small-scale fisheries, and to incorporate the human rights principles of the Small-scale Fisheries Guidelines into all national fisheries and aquaculture policies. Central to this, is the participation of small-scale fishers and Indigenous Peoples in all decision-making processes that effect our livelihoods. Small-scale fisheries produce two-thirds of all catches for direct human consumption, and our central role in global food security must be protected and ensured well into the future.