Artisanal fishing can improve livelihoods, boost nutrition and strengthen food systems, but fishers’ input is needed at local, national and global levels, according to a Comment by Sheryl L. Hendriks, professor of food security and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, published in the journal Nature on 20 June 2022.
In Prof. Hendricks’ words:
“Although ocean ecosystems are strained by climate change, overfishing and more, studies nevertheless suggest that seafood can be expanded sustainably to meet future food demands3. Last year, international efforts promoting this approach included the Blue Food Assessment (a joint initiative of 25 research institutions) and the United Nations Food Systems Summit.
Success will depend on small-scale fisheries. Small operations tend to deliver both food and income directly to the people who need them most, and locals have a strong incentive to make their practices sustainable. What’s more, these fisheries can be remarkably efficient. Almost everything that hand-to-mouth fisheries catch is consumed. By contrast, around 20% of the fish caught by industrial fleets is estimated to be wasted, mainly because of unwanted by-catch4. So, whereas large-scale operators land more fish, small-scale fisheries provide a larger share of the fish that is actually consumed.
Small fishers rarely have the right resources to expand their operations, or even to survive. If they do scale up, they might lose some of their current advantages or engage in the same harmful
practices as do large commercial fisheries. Managed with care, however, small fisheries could provide win–wins for livelihoods and the environment. Making this happen should be high on the agenda at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon this month.
As someone who has studied food security and policymaking for decades, here I suggest ways to support and strengthen artisanal fishing operations.”