Argentina’s Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Néstor Miguel Bustamante, led the country’s delegation to the FAO Technical Consultation on International Guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries.
The meeting allowed Argentina to be part of the negotiation of the final text of the guidelines will be presented for approval to the 31st Session of the Committee on Fisheries of the FAO to be held in June 2014.
At its 29th session (February 2011), the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of FAO recommended the development of an international instrument for small-scale fisheries. This decision reflects the growing recognition about the important contribution of the small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security, as well as the guidance provided by a number of global and regional conferences and consultation meetings to discuss the best way to unite and strengthen the concept of responsible fisheries and development social in coastal and inland fishing communities.
These Guidelines have been developed through a participatory and consultative process, composed of representatives of the member countries, the small-scale fishing communities represented by civil society organizations (CSOs), organizations regional (NGOs) and other stakeholders. Primarily, they were examined in Technical Regional Consultations and later in both World Questions first in May 2013.
FAO’s international document was drawn up to supplement the Code of Conduct of the FAO for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) in 1995 and aims to:(a) Improve the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and nutrition world and support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food; (b) contribute to the equitable development of artisanal fishing communities and the eradication of poverty and improve the socioeconomic situation of fishermen and workers in the context of sustainable fisheries management; (c) achieve sustainable utilization, prudent and responsible management and conservation of fisheries resources under the CCRF and related instruments; (d) promote the contribution of small-scale fisheries in a sustainable future economically, socially and environmentally sustainable for our planet and its inhabitants; (e) provide guidance, propose principles and criteria for consideration by the States and stakeholders with a view to the development and implementation of policies, strategies and legal frameworks participatory and respectful of the ecosystem in order to strengthen the management, local governance and the development of a responsible fishing and sustainable small-scale; (f) improve public awareness and promote the advancement of knowledge about the culture, the role, contribution and potential capacity of small-scale fisheries, considering the ancestral and traditional knowledge, as well as constraints and opportunities related to these.
Small-scale fishing accounts for half of the world fish catch and taking into account the harvest for direct human consumption, the contribution of the subsector increased to two-thirds of the total. Inland fisheries is of particular importance in this regard and the production of food from small-scale fishing predominates in this subsector.
Small-scale fishing accounts for over 90% of the global fish catch and fishery workers in the world, of which, approximately half are women. Argentina has adopted measures for the conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources and to ensure the ecological basis of food production.It has implemented appropriate management systems that meet their existing obligations under domestic and international law and voluntary commitments, such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which duly recognize the needs and opportunities for small-scale fisheries.
“The implementation of national action plans, measures to modernize the monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries and products, management measures of their fisheries, coupled with the active presence of the Secretariat in various forums, has achieved recognition for Argentina, by the world’s fishing community and nations in the region,” said Undersecretary Miguel Bustamante.
He added: “We must invest more in research that addresses the social aspects of artisanal and small-scale fisheries because although we have made much progress, we know that we have much more to do. We need to know about artisanal fishing communities, the conditions in which they work, the wages paid and their living conditions. We have, still, within the hierarchy of the Secretariat or INIDEP, the structure to meet those needs. Therefore, we will work with each community to provide them with tools, for which we will promote events, activities and participatory management processes for each of the communities.”
To promote long-term sustainable fisheries, in 1995 the Conference of FAO adopted the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which sets out principles and international standards for responsible practices with a view to ensuring the conservation, management and effective development of living aquatic resources, with due respect for the ecosystem and of biodiversity. The Code recognizes the nutritional, economic, social, environmental and cultural importance of fisheries and the interests of all parties involved in the fisheries sector. It also takes into account the biological characteristics of the resources and their environment, and the interests of consumers and other users.
Argentina is part of a set of 50 countries that voluntarily adhered to the Code, committing to develop sustainable fisheries with respect to the environment. The Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture highlighted the active participation of members of national civil society organizations (CSOs), such as the Argentina Fishermen Union (UAPA) and the Association of Fishermen of Puerto Madryn, who act in line with the policies proposed by the State, and recognized the strong support for the interventions of the delegation in defense of national sovereignty and the rights of workers in small-scale fisheries, emphasizing artisanal subsistence fishing and vulnerable groups.
The delegation, chaired by Dr . Bustamante, was also composed of the Director of Fisheries Control and Monitoring, Mauricio Remes Lenicov, and representatives of the Argentina Chancellery, Holger F. Martinsen and Minister Carlos Tagle.