EDFish

Tackling inequity for small-scale fisheries raises all boats

By Guest Author / Published: June 7, 2020

By Editrudith Lukanga

Editrudith Lukanga is a global leader on small-scale fisheries issues, addressing challenges such as gender equity, food security and poverty alleviation. She lives in Tanzania and is the founder and executive director of the Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization, a non-profit development organization working on environmental and socioeconomic challenges in her country. Her commitment to supporting small-scale fishing communities led to the establishment of Tanzania Women Fish Workers Association. She also serves as co-president of the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers and is secretary general of the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network.

As the COVID-19 pandemic encircles the globe, disrupting everything in its path, the fishing sector is among the hardest hit. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rural villages and small-scale fishing communities that depend on the sea, lakes and rivers for their food and livelihoods. Read More »

Sea changes: The ‘interesting times’ facing European fisheries

By Guest Author / Published: March 20, 2017

By: Erik Lindebo

Calm seas or stormy waters? Well, we are only three months into 2017 and, for a number of reasons, it’s already looking like a tumultuous year – calling to mind the ancient Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times”.

Around the world, we are seeing dramatic political shifts. In Europe, Brexit has sent shockwaves through political establishments and, regardless of the final outcomes, we now face years of political uncertainty, and highly complex and no doubt emotive negotiations. Brokering a deal around fisheries will certainly be no exception, if past is prologue; only time will tell how access to waters, resources and markets will look in a divorce settlement with the EU. These changing times require new, adaptive ways of thinking about fisheries management. Read More »

Posted in Europe, International, Policy / Tagged CFP, choke species, climate upside, Common Fisheries Policy, Fisheries Management | Comments are closed

Fishermen lead the way in discarding old habits

By Guest Author / Published: August 22, 2016

Photo: Laurence Hartwell

By: Dr. Erik Lindebo, Senior Consultant, EDF Oceans Europe

For coastal communities across Europe, fishing is both a way of life and a business. It’s an activity rich with tradition, spanning generations within families – but to be passed down from father to son, businesses need to be strong: fishing must stay profitable, and sustainable. Facing a changing policy landscape can challenge fishing businesses of all sizes, and the introduction of a ‘Landing Obligation’ (which requires fishermen to land and account for all of their catch rather than discarding unwanted fish) by the Common Fisheries Policy is certainly one of the biggest policy challenges the industry has had to adapt to.

Whilst many industry members are still reeling at the implications of landing 100% of catch – and worried about their bottom line in a ‘discard free’ future – a dedicated and growing core of active fishermen are seeking new solutions to implementing the Landing Obligation (LO). Their vision is of fishing businesses that waste little, deliver profits and remain sustainable in the long-term. But how can this be achieved? Read More »

Posted in Europe, International / Tagged discard ban, industry innovation, landing obligation | Comments are closed

Examining Climate Change Vulnerabilities of Marine Species in New England

By Guest Author / Published: March 8, 2016

Sea scallop. Photo credit: Dann Blackwood, USGS

By: Kristin M. Kleisner

Last week at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, a session entitled “Questioning our Changing Oceans,” sponsored by The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, The Environmental Defense Fund, The Island Institute, and The Nature Conservancy, sought to address some of the major issues related to climate change that the fishing industry has been experiencing. The panel included Jake Kritzer (EDF) as well as local scientists Andy Pershing (GMRI) and Jon Hare (NOAA), along with headliners Capt. Keith Coburn of the hit show ‘Deadliest Catch’, Capt. Buddy Guindon of the new breakout hit ‘Big Fish, Texas,’ and fishermen from as far as Western Australia.

The panel highlighted two NOAA studies recently published in PLOS ONE that highlight the vulnerability of marine fish and invertebrate species such as American lobster and scallops on the U.S. Northeast Shelf to the effects of climate change. Both studies illuminate important trends in species adaptation that will help inform future management decisions in the region. Read More »

Posted in New England / Tagged Climate change, climate change and fisheries, climate vulnerability, Domestic, Fisheries, George's Bank, Gulf of Maine, Lobster, NEFSC, Scallops | Comments are closed

TURF Tools: Exploring tools to help restore small-scale fisheries

By Guest Author / Published: July 24, 2015

Photo: Kaia Joye Moyer

By: Kaia Joye Moyer, Masters Student at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management

It is 5am. The sun is just rising, but Hermes Arandas, a fisher from Totolan, Dauis, Bohol in the Philippines, is anything but just waking up. Today he and six fellow fishers are pulling their banca, a long slender outrigger canoe into the boat landing area. The men left the harbor at 4 pm the previous day and have been out fishing all night. Hermes tells me that he remembers fishing with his father. Back then, the fish were not far from shore, but today they can’t be found there. In order to continue to support his family, Hermes must fish farther and longer because catch is decreasing and fish are getting smaller.

Unfortunately Hermes is not alone in his story. More than 90% of the fishermen around the world are small-scale fishers like Hermes, mostly living in developing nations. And while these fishers provide half of the global fish catch, they are also particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they rely on fish for both their livelihood and food source

It is stories like Hermes’ that brought us to the Philippines.

Posted in Fish Forever project, Global Fisheries, International / Tagged community engagement, Design, fisheries training, small scale fisheries, tools, TURF Reserves, TURFs, TURFtools | Comments are closed

Let’s take control of our future: a UK skipper’s perspective

By Guest Author / Published: June 22, 2015

Photo: Tom Jamieson

By: David Stevens

David Stevens comes from a long line of St Ives fishermen and is part of his family run business. Their vessel, The Crystal Sea is a 20 meter trawler working out of Newlyn, which goes to sea 3-5 days depending on the weather, so as to maximise the quality and freshness of their catch. David skippers alongside his brother, Alec, with a crew of three others and their father working ashore with the nets and supplies.

I have been fishing now for nearly 25 years and in all of that time, the decisions that really matter, about how we fish and the amount we catch have been largely kept out of industry’s hands. The decisions made in Brussels by the European Union have had a huge impact on the way we run our businesses. We are often left wondering how seemingly straightforward policies have become so complicated and how, when introduced at the industry level, these laws just don’t work. I am hopeful, however, that fishermen can now lead the necessary management solutions to forge a prosperous and sustainable future. Read More »

Posted in Europe, International / Tagged CFP reform, discard ban, fishermen innovation, fishermen voices, UK fisherman | Comments are closed