From the Editor
Dear Friends,
Greetings! This issue of Yemaya has articles from Chile and Brazil in Latin America, and from the European Union. Both Chile and Brazil have seen government initiatives to devolve powers to local communities to manage fisheries resources. These are also based on the recognition that for management to be effective, the participation of local communities is critical. In Chile, management and exploitation areas (AMERB) have been set up, providing well-defined community groups, quasi-property-rights to sedentary resources. A slightly different concept of marine extractive reserves (RESEX) is presently being consolidated and applied in Brazil.
Articles in this issue of Yemaya explore these initiatives from a gendered angle. Thus, the article from Chile highlights the efforts of a women’s group seeking allotment of management and exploitation areas for seaweed, and the challenges they are facing in the process, particularly from fishermen’s unions.
The article from Brazil raises issues about the need for the RESEX approach to consider issues of land and sea together. The article emphasizes that even if communities are given rights over inshore waters, benefits are minimal if they lack similar rights over their land on the coasts. This is particularly in the context of the other, more powerful interests, such as tourism, keen to gain access to coastal lands. The article also discusses the differing aspirations of men and women in fishing communities, as well as the differing priorities of local communities, the tourism industry and conservation groups.
The European Parliament resolution on Women’s networks: fishing, farming and diversification (2004/2263 (INI) adopted on 15 December 2005, is noteworthy. It asks Member States to launch the necessary actions to secure greater legal and social recognition of the work of women in the fisheries sector. It calls on the European Commission to explore measures to assist in the development of a women’s network at the pan-European Union level. In this context the recent formation of a network comprising fisherwomen’s organizations and networks from Europe, called the AKTEA European Network: Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture, is also noteworthy.
We also reproduce a news piece on the use of solar-powered driers by fisherwomen in Tamil Nadu, India. The post-tsunami period has seen several interesting initiatives for fisherwomen, and the experiences from these could well be relevant for fisherwomen in other parts of the world.
We would like to thank those of you who responded to the Yemaya readership survey questionnaire. Your feedback is important. For those who are yet to respond, the questionnaire is also available on the ICSF website (www.icsf.net). We look forward to your comments and contributions for Yemaya. In case you would like to receive an e-mail request two months prior to each issue, requesting articles, comments, write-ups, etc. and other news of relevance to women in fishing communities, do let us know. You can reach us at icsf@icsf.net.
