IIFET 2012 Tanzania Proceedings
ARE SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES ECONOMICALLY VIABLE?
Rashid Sumaila*, Ngaio Hotte*
*UBC
Abstract
The contributions of small-scale fisheries to income and employment are well recognized but not
sufficiently understood. It is difficult to gauge, for instance, whether this sector is economically viable,
especially in the context of large-scale economic, social, political, and ecological change processes. These
knowledge deficits create an environment of uncertainty for policy interventions and responses to change,
which consequently run the risk of increasing the vulnerability of small-scale fisheries. This paper
explores how viable small-scale fisheries are and what options exist for improving their contributions and
resilience.