November 2023

Brussels 21 November 2023.

Today, Tuesday November 21, is World Fisheries Day, marking the twenty fifth occasion of this celebration since it was conceived in 1997. To mark this event, and to celebrate the 2022 International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA), LIFE members from 8 countries from the Baltic to the Mediterranean met in Galicia last week to discuss and envision what a fair future for small-scale fisheries in Europe should be.

The meeting, which took place in Vilanova de Arousa, Galicia, Spain from 13 to 16 November, was organised by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), LIFE and the association of “Mulleres Salgadas (MS)”. MS hosted the event, and organised a visit to meet with their members – women shellfish gatherers (mariscadoras) from the Ria de Arousa – and to understand and appreciate their profession.

This is the fourth and final in a series of events organised by ICSF to celebrate the 2022 International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA). For more information see: https://www.icsf.net/resources/europe-workshop-iyafa-2023/

The future is extremely uncertain for fisheries in general, and small-scale fisheries in particular. The meeting therefore set itself the task of seeking solutions, to develop a positive narrative for SSF, and to envision what a fair future would look like for this sub sector. The 45 participants from 16 countries gathering for the meeting included men and women fishers and their representatives, support organisations, scientists, academics and other interested parties.

From the University of Santiago, the Equal Sea Lab team kicked off the meeting with discussions on how to change the current narrative framing SSF in Europe. According to this narrative, SSF are outliers, marginalised in decision making processes and in the access arrangements for fishing opportunities and markets. Concentration of wealth, control and influence has also undermined democracy in fisheries management and fisheries sustainability, and created unjust and vulnerable food systems and supply chains. A new approach is needed, based on inclusive and sustainable socio-economic and environmental development, which prioritises the well being of coastal communities and the health of aquatic ecosystems.

To follow, LIFE looked into governance in fisheries, and how a differentiated approach is needed to govern SSF access to resources, to govern SSF fishery activities at sea, and to govern SSF access to markets in a fair manner. Cases of good practice from across Europe were presented. Then participants discussed how to strengthen capacities of SSF and support organizations, and what kinds of alliances need to be built. The final session was organised as a panel discussion to reflect on the earlier discussions from a women in fisheries perspective. This final panel included men and women members from both LIFE and Aktea, the European network of fisherwomen’s organisations, as well as mariscadoras and scientists.  

The meeting concluded that constructing a new narrative and a fair future for SSF in Europe must include:

•  The recognition of SSF as a cornerstone of vibrant aquatic economies, supported by equitable, inclusive and transparent policies with ecosystem regeneration at their core, as well as ensuring fishers’ basic human rights of access to the resources that sustain their livelihoods.
• Co-management schemes based on shared responsibility that weave environmental stewardship into the social fabric and the dynamic culture of communities.
• Viable SSF enterprises and decent work, fostering generational renewal, gender equality and inclusivity, underpinned by fair and participative processes.
• The recognition of traditional, inherited and experiential knowledge of small-scale fishers and fishworkers, including women and indigenous peoples as prerequisite for informing fisheries management decisions.
• Markets that reflect the true value of sustainable small-scale food production and which deliver fair rewards along the value chain, from net to plate.
• The gathering and use of information and innovation to support our cause, to enhance our natural world for all rather than restricting its use for a few, based on data sovereignty, accessible technology, and digital literacy
• Future proofing of SSF communities to the effects of climate change, and making them resilient to natural and human disasters

Read the full statement and call to action drafted as an outcome of the event.

Read the workshop report.

For further information:

Sivaja Nair, Programme Executive, ICSF sivaja.icsf@gmail.com

Sandra Amezaga Menendez, Secretary, Mulleres Salgadas Association, amezagasandra@gmail.com

Marta Cavallé, Executive Secretary, LIFE, executive.secretary@lifeplatform.eu

Recently the “Association of Small Coastal Fishermen of the Adriatic” became a member of LIFE Platform. Last week we chatted with Kazimir, one of the small-scale fishers of this organisation in Croatia to get to know them a bit better.

November 14th, 2023

1.First of all, Welcome to LIFE! We are thrilled to welcome your organisation as a new member of the LIFE platform. Could you tell us a bit about yourself, your organisation, and the area you fish in? 

My name is Kazimir Bogović. I’m based on an island in Croatia called Mali Losinj. I’ve been a professional fisherman for 7 years, I used to own two restaurants but then I decided to go back to fishing because I come from a fishing family and I enjoy working alone. I’m actually originally from another neighbouring island, my family is still there working in tourism and fishing. I have two small children, two girls aged 3 and 6, and small scale fishing allows me to manage a work and private life balance better than working in restaurants. 

2. Since when has this organisation existed? How many fishers does your association represent and in which area do you fish? 

The organisation “Association of Small Scale Coastal Fishermen of the Adriatic” is two years old, it was an initiative from the government initially as part of an Interreg cooperation programme between Italy and Croatia. The idea behind the creation of the organisation is to promote sustainable fishing and eventually create a producer’s organisation to distribute and sell our catches at a better price. Until its creation we have mostly focused on the sharing of information regarding how to best sell our catches, comply with fishery regulations, the use of fishing gear, address common problems and basically manage our future better. The organisation is still under development, it is very young, but we are now officially registered. It allows us to not only exchange information amongst Croatian members but also with the members in the similar Italian organisation created at the same time.  

There are 60 fishermen in Mali Losinj island alone, but not all are members of the organisation yet. Up to date, the organisation is formed by 41 fishermen which are located across the entire coast of the country, although mostly are in the northern part of Croatia up until Istria. All boats are under 12m, and use small-scale, low impact, fishing gear. 

3. Small scale fishers use a wide range of fish gear, adapting to the species and the seasons. Could you tell us what kind of fishing gear the fishers in your community use? How big are your boats and which are your target species? 

In winter, I mostly use the harpoon at night. 80% of my catches are octopus and squid. I only catch big fish. In summer I use longline fishing, traps and sometimes I also use some nets. Other fishers in the area will use similar gear, fishing nets, some lobster nets and several also use traps for scampi mostly in an area where trawlers have been banned, and where they get good catches. This is actually a very popular fishery in our area for the high value of the catch and selectivity of the gear. Unfortunately it is not easy to get licences for fishing shrimps mostly due to the high cost linked to it.  

4. The main mission of LIFE is to provide a voice for the sector at the European and institutional levels, but also to support fishers with overcoming their challenges on the ground. Could you tell us more about the main concerns of the fishers in your region? What are the current battles your community is engaged in? 

Our main challenge is unfair competition due to the large numbers of recreational fishing licences that exist in the country, around 100.000, when there are 4039 professional fishers, of which 80% are SSF. There is very little control on catch levels and illegal selling channels. For this reason we welcome the recent control regulation initiative from the EU commission. Our government has promised us that from next year all recreational fishers will have to register their catches in an app, but the problem of course is how will they control 100.000 fishers. The regulations that anglers have to follow are very different from the regulations we have to follow, when it comes to engine regulations for example. 

It is also a challenge to get enough fishers to attend the meetings we are invited to. At the last meeting only 2 fishers came. It is hard to get people’s interest but then they complain if nothing is done. Some fishers in Istria have conflicts with the trawlers fishing scallops, since they are not respecting the speed at which they should fish, and therefore have more bycatch, which impacts the fisheries in the area. 

We also have challenges with our selling prices, due to the monopoly of one big buyer and distributor, called Friulpesca who has a big influence on the prices. We don’t sell to them but due to the  size of this company they have an important impact on the market. Finally, we also have many interactions with tourism in summer. 

5. Finally, could you tell us more about your motivations to become a member of LIFE? And what do you expect from being a member of LIFE?

We became a member of LIFE to have access to more relevant information on the fishing sector and learn from other organisations outside Croatia. We want to be able to exchange information, and look for guidance, especially now we are establishing our SSF organisation. In a couple of years a big area where we fish will be declared a Natura 2000 protected area, for example. We are part of the conversations to establish the areas where we’ll be able to fish and where we won’t. These are important conversations and times for us, and therefore we appreciate any help and guidance we can have from learning from other fishing communities in Europe.