The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, or IYAFA — a year to recognize and celebrate the contributions of small-scale fishers, fish workers and aquaculturists to communities and nations, and to advance their development. To celebrate the launch of IYAFA, we asked our staff who work closely with small-scale fishing communities around the world why this year is important to them and what they hope to see happen in a year dedicated to small-scale fisheries. Read More
EDFish
Selected tag(s): Peru
Celebrating IYAFA 2022 with EDFers from around the globe
Women in Fisheries Q&A: how women strengthen and support the fishing sector
Environmental Defense Fund recently invited Julie Kuchepatov, founder of Seafood and Gender Equality, to have a conversation with three EDF team members on the role of women in small-scale fisheries in their respective countries. Julie spoke with Onesya Damayanti, Community Outreach Specialist, Indonesia; Layla Osman, Small-Scale Fisheries Manager, Humboldt Current; and Ana Suarez, Senior Specialist for Capacity Development, Partnerships and Global Inclusion, Mexico. In this conversation, Julie and our team explore the important roles of women in coastal communities around the world — and how women’s work in fisheries adds value in countless ways. Read More
Celebrating Fishermen’s Day in Peru: a tribute to traditional sailing on the high seas
By Nina Pardo and Hector Soldi
On June 4, a small but mighty fleet of artisanal sailboats from the fishing communities of Cabo Blanco and El Ñuro in northern Peru unfolded their sails and went out to sea — sailing alongside the Peruvian Navy’s sailing vessel La Unión. This annual regatta is a salute to the artisanal fishing fleet of Peru, which uses only the wind in their sails and their ancient traditions of navigation to fish a variety of important species for local seafood markets and restaurants. Read More
Fisheries resilience in the Humboldt Current: one step closer to achieving sustainability
By Cayetana Aljovín and Erica Cunningham
Evidence abounds showing that our world — and especially our seas — are changing. This is particularly notable in the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem, where we have seen changes in the distribution of fish stocks, temperature anomalies, wave surges, harmful algal blooms and much more. Yet, the Humboldt Current continues to be a source of fisheries productivity, livelihoods, economic development and food security for the two most important fishing nations in South America: Peru and Chile. The Humboldt Current unites these two countries, which is especially important as climate change impacts require a united front to combat them and a new way to manage fisheries.
In South America’s Humboldt Current, this collaboration to build more climate-resilient fisheries brings together two great fishing nations
By Kristin M. Kleisner and Mauricio Galvez
Along the Pacific coast of South America, a powerful ocean current brings to life one of the most abundant and productive ecosystems on the planet. The Humboldt Current System spans from southern Chile to Ecuador, pulling cold, nutrient-rich water from the ocean depths to the surface. Read More
New hope for Indigenous fishing communities in Chile
On a cold morning, we descend a bumpy dirt road through a forest of ancient alerce trees. As the forest clears, we arrive at a rugged coastline, dotted with fishing villages. The smell of smoke rises through the fog and combines with a salty sea breeze as villagers warm bread over their wood stoves, and fishers ready their boats for a day on the water. For centuries, these Indigenous Mapuche villages have lived off the thriving marine life of the Humboldt Current, a cold upwelling on Chile’s west coast that delivers abundance and a source of food and livelihood from the sea to the whole nation.