The first meeting of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management, taking place from 15 to 18 January in Rome, Italy, has opened crucial discussions on current management practices, with a particular focus on small-scale fisheries. The growing recognition of the importance of this sector by the international community was highlighted during the discussions.
Along with other artisanal fishing organisations and their supporters, CAOPA, in a joint statement, welcomed the FAO’s proposal to focus on the design of management approaches and tools that would be best suited to sustainable artisanal fisheries: “In this regard, we believe that the most appropriate approach is to give priority to transparent, collaborative, gender-sensitive management programmes, while ensuring respect for the land and access rights of artisanal fishing communities”.
In order to combat the over-exploitation of resources and the destruction of ecosystems (particularly in coastal areas), the signatories called for the closure of coastal areas to industrial fishing and other destructive and polluting activities, such as offshore energy production, tourism and fishmeal factories. As highlighted in the 2022 Call to Action from artisanal fisheries, these areas reserved for small-scale fishing should be fully co-managed through specific legal frameworks that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of fishing authorities and communities.
However, in a context where the blue economy is booming, “fisheries management alone cannot guarantee sustainable fisheries”. A precautionary approach, transparency and the effective participation of artisanal fishing communities should guide any new use of the ocean: “any new use of the ocean likely to have a negative impact on ecosystems and the communities that depend on them should not be authorised”.
The signatories also support the FAO’s proposal to develop a roadmap that would ensure the effective management of 100% of marine and inland fisheries, in order to guarantee healthy stocks and ensure equitable livelihoods: “Given the impending food crisis, particularly in developing countries, and the key role that fish plays in human nutrition, an additional objective should be to maximise the contribution of these fisheries to food security”.
With this in mind, systems for allocating access to resources should give priority to those who fish in the most environmentally and socially sustainable way and who make the greatest contribution to food security, giving priority to fish intended for human consumption rather than to the value chain of processing fishery products (fishmeal and fish oil, for example).
“As part of its efforts to ensure effective management of all fisheries, we believe that the creation of a new RFMO for the management of small pelagics in West Africa should be a priority, as these shared resources, some of which are considered overexploited, are a key pillar of food security in the region,” the signatories stressed.