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Small-scale fisheries, often also referred to as
artisanal fisheries, are difficult to define
unambiguously, as the term tends to apply to
different circumstances in different countries. In
general, they are traditional fisheries involving
fishing households (as opposed to commercial
companies), using relatively small amounts of
capital and energy, relatively small fishing
vessels (if any), making short fishing trips close
to shore, mainly for local consumption. In
practice, the definition varies between countries,
e.g. from gleaning or a one-man canoe in poor
developing areas, to more than 20-m. trawlers,
seiners or long-liners in developed ones. Artisanal
fisheries can be subsistence or commercial,
providing for local consumption or export. As well,
while most artisanal fisheries produce fish that is
shared and consumed directly by the fisher's kin
rather than being bought by middle-traders and sold
at the next larger market, some are truly
export-oriented (e.g. cephalopod pot fisheries in
Mauritania). However, it can probably be said, that
pure subsistence fisheries are rare as part of the
products are very often sold or exchanged for other
goods or services.
Artisanal fisheries can be very specialised but,
in general, target a very wide range of species,
using a broad variety of gears, generating diverse
fishing strategies and flexibly adapting to
seasonal or inter-annual natural variability.
Importance of artisanal fisheries
Artisanal fisheries are important for many
reasons. Globally, they produce about 50% of the
world capture fisheries' harvest used for human
consumption and as such contribute significantly to
food security, particularly in rural areas. They
also provide significant employment. Although
available statistics are extremely poor, FAO
estimates indicate that there were close to 29
million fishers - artisanal and industrial - in
1990 and that this number has been holding steady
since. Artisanal fishers represent the lions' share
- a guestimate would put the figure at around 20
million. In addition, downstream industries and
support services generate possibly another 80
million jobs, ensuring some livelihood for 200
million people (assuming a ten-to-one ratio).
Locally, artisanal fisheries often provide an
economic activity and livelihood of last resort for
the poorest strata of the rural - and even
sometimes urban - populations. In cases of
exceptional conditions, such as severe droughts in
Africa, they may be the only occupation possible
for displaced peoples. Close to urban centres, they
often provide a livelihood for the jobless. This is
made possible both by the traditional cultures of
mutual assistance as well as by the free and open
access nature of many of the small-scale fisheries.
Access to small-scale fisheries is most often
neither limited nor really controlled by central
fisheries management authorities. However, in many
areas, traditional regulations and relationships
exist by initiating access control through local
ethnic groups or communities such as fishing fees
by foreigners and the right to establish a fishing
camp.
Artisanal fisheries are difficult to administer
because they are largely scattered along the edges
of aquatic systems, rivers, lakes and marine
shores, including difficultly- accessible areas.
This characteristic explains the severe constraints
faced by artisanal fisheries in terms of
management, access to modern technology, capital,
health care, markets, electricity, education,
manpower, etc. These constraints are compounded by
the lack of mobility (out of the sector and the
area) and the fact that many small-scale fishers
are also part-time farmers.
Characteristics of artisanal fisheries
Contrary to the impression often obtained from a
superficial visit, artisanal fisheries are often
extremely dynamic. In some countries (e.g. China,
Guinea) they have recently expanded rapidly. In
others (Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire) they are
stagnating after a very vigorous expansion the past
two decades. In others still (Japan, Malaysia), the
number of artisanal fishers is declining, following
general trends in demography, economic development
and availability of better paid jobs, or as a
consequence of urban drift. Artisanal fisheries
technology is also evolving rapidly with the
adoption of modern materials such as fibreglass
boats, multimonofilament nets, outboard and
in-board engines, echo sounders, satellite global
positioning systems (GPS).
The role of women in fisheries is particularly
important, especially in the areas of fish
processing, distribution, wholesale and retail
marketing. These activities contribute
substantially to the maintenance and development of
the household. Intermediaries play a major role in
the development of artisanal fisheries as
fishmongers traditionally control the market
outlets and represent the only source of credit
available for very cash-strung fishers. Interest
rates are inclined to be high and, despite the
reality of the grave financial risks taken by these
informal bankers, tend to be considered
excessive.
Migration is a common characteristic of many
artisanal fisheries. Fishers often move seasonally
to follow fish across their migratory routes,
inside a country (e.g. between north and south
Senegal) or between countries (e.g. Senegal and
Mauritania; Ghana or Mali and Côte d'Ivoire).
They may also move more permanently, creating
quasi-permanent settlements abroad (e.g. Ghanaian
fishers found all along the Atlantic coast of
Africa).
Artisanal versus commercial fisheries
Artisanal fisheries often fare well when
compared to their more commercial or industrial
counterparts. They use much less fuel and generate
more employment per tonne of fish produced. Their
economic performance, often underestimated and
sometimes ignored by national governments, can be
very high, particularly considering that this
sector receives very little subsidies, if any.
While most contribute to local markets, some are
actively export-oriented towards regional or
international markets (e.g. Senegalese processed
fish to the Gulf of Guinea; South African abalone
to Asia; Northwest African high-quality fish and
octopus to Japan or Europe).
Their environmental impacts on fish stocks and
fish habitats are often less than that of
commercial fisheries largely because of the
widespread use of selective and stationary fishing
gear, as well as the overall lower fishing power
exerted than in industrial fisheries. However, this
statement should be qualified, on several counts.
Firstly, there is the fairly widespread use of
destructive practices such as poison (cyanide) and
explosives (dynamite and other "home-made"
explosives) in some small-scale fisheries,
especially in tropical reef areas. Secondly, some
artisanal fishing gear are very unselective, such
as small-meshed beach-seines and some types of
trammel, lift and cast nets. Thirdly, the sheer
density and intensity of fishing off highly
populated coastal areas can contribute to serious
levels of overexploitation of vulnerable fish
stocks such as long-lived demersal resources.
Practically everywhere, artisanal fisheries tend
to be confronting, severe competition from
commercial fisheries for fishery resources and
fishing areas, markets, financial support from
governments. Conflicts are spreading with
significant consequences for household economies
(such as gear destruction, market losses) and,
sometimes, peoples' life. In the past, these
conflicts have been very violent in some areas
(e.g. Southeast Asia). Overall, the political power
of the small-scale sector depends on its size,
degree of organization (within a powerful
association, for example) and ethnic relationships
with political leaders.
During the 1960s and 1970s, artisanal fisheries
received substantial support from international
funding institutions and development agencies for
modernizing fishing techniques -dramatically
increasing fishing capacity - and improving fish
processing and marketing - reducing post-harvest
losses and introducing value-adding). Fisheries
cooperatives were developed together with
associated community institutions. In many
countries, this support was progressively reduced
during the 1980s and 1990s when the extension of
jurisdiction to 200 nautical miles shifted
governments' focus to the potential of industrial
and offshore fishing. Fortunately, at the time,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) significantly
increased their influence and demanded that more
attention be placed on artisanal fisheries. These
NGOs have also often contributed to a
decentralization process whereby local communities
were given progressively larger responsibilities
and decision-making power over fisheries management
and community affairs.
Today, artisanal fisheries are caught between
two trends. On the one hand, the decentralization
process offers more opportunities to control their
own development through community-based management
or co-management. On the other hand, the inexorable
globalization, with its overriding political and
economic consequences, is affecting the lives of
artisanal fishers well beyond their control. The
high pressures exerted by manifold coastal
activities that cause water pollution, destruction
of fish habitats, and increasing competition and
high price of coastal land adds yet another set of
constraints and threats.
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