Small-Scale Fisheries and Food Security: Preventing Overexploitation
Artisanal, or small-scale, fisheries provide food and employment to hundreds of
millions of people in developing countries, making these fisheries’ sustainability essential
(Johnson et al. 2013). In tropical developing countries, 60% of the people depend on fish
for 40% or more of their protein demand (Hussain et al. 2010). Growth in fisheries in the
developing world outpaces growth in agriculture (Garcia et al. 2010). With a growing
world population, persistent problems of hunger and malnutrition afflicting developing
nations will only increase, so food security is a major societal and international concern
(Garcia et al. 2010). Fishery resources are important sources of nutrition for many lowincome populations in rural areas, and with such a large number of people relying on
small-scale fisheries to alleviate poverty and contribute to food security, their
international importance continues to increase.
Figure 1: Fishermen sailing off the coast of Mozambique. Photo source:
Wikimedia Commons
Effective consumption in developing countries may be even higher than current
statistics show because frequently small-scale fisheries do not report their catch (FAO,
2014). This is often the result of subsistence fishing, in which fishermen directly rely on
their catch for food. Moreover, many fishermen practice on a part-time or occasional
basis, and so a census may not record them as fishers, ultimately underestimating their
number (FAO, 2014). With a more accurate estimation of small-scale fisheries’ catch,
their already substantial global importance would be magnified.
Because they encompass a large number of people living in communities with low
adaptability and heavy dependence on fish for food, small-scale fisheries are the most
vulnerable type of fishery (FAO, 2014). Small-scale fisheries face many problems such
as habitat degradation, climate change, lack of financial support, poor gear and
infrastructure, and the lack of access to markets (Daw et al. 2012), (Halafo et al. 2004).
Moreover, many fisheries suffer from an excess of fishing effort, endangering their longterm sustainability. It is particularly difficult to address excessive fishing effort in smallscale fisheries, where there are limited options for controlling access to fish. (Daw et al.
2012).
Figure 2: Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka. Photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Usually, overexploitation of fish stocks result from unsustainable practices. This
includes illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU), which threatens both the
local ecosystem and the socio-economic condition of the small-scale fishing communities
(FAO, 2014). IUU reduces the quality and quantity of available catch for legitimate
fishers, and often contributes to poverty and food insecurity (FAO, 2014). Another issue
affecting sustainability of fisheries is the post-harvest loss of fish, which can occur at any
stage of the supply chain. Recent investigations have revealed a direct relationship
between high fish losses and increased fishing effort which fisheries use to compensate
for these losses (FAO, 2014). Moreover, because of their inefficient structure, small-scale
fisheries incur greater losses than the large-scale fisheries (FAO, 2014).
Proper management can alleviate these unsustainable practices that lead to
overexploitation. The management of small-scale fisheries, with their fundamental
components of population, poverty and food security, remains particularly problematic,
and many small-scale fisheries remain practically unmanaged (Garcia et al. 2010).
However, management of small-scale fisheries has improved, and recent approaches have
shown success. Institutions that manage small-scale fisheries can be locally based, state
controlled, or a mix of the two. The latter arrangement, known as co-management, is the
preferred approach for sustainability (Kosamu, 2015). Bottom-up implementation of new
management arrangements between the state and the local community may make it easier
for the two to agree on an objective, as well as help the fishers adapt to the new system
(Aburto et al. 2013). Although government management is helpful, a case analysis
showed that the sustainability of small-scale fisheries depended on the strength of the
collective capital of the local communities (Kosamu, 2015). With weak local capital,
government involvement made no difference, and the fisheries were unsustainable in all
cases (Kosamu, 2015). This indicates that governments can help small-scale fisheries
effectively by protecting and supporting local institutions.
Figure 3: Two men untangling their nets in Vietnam. Photo source: Wikimedia
Commons.
In addition to effective management, the availability of alternative food and
income sources to local communities can reduce fishing pressure to a sustainable level
(Kronen et al. 2010). National economic development and communal income sources
affect local resource exploitation, and thus, the overexploitation of fish stocks.
Economically poorer regions with fewer alternative employment opportunities will suffer
more from overfishing. In support of this, recent studies have found higher fish biomass
densities near sites with greater infrastructure, owing to an economy less reliant on
natural resource extraction (Daw et al. 2012).
Small-scale fishery sustainability remains essential to developing nations,
particularly in response to growing global populations. Implementation of proper
management practices as well as support of local economies will ease the pressure on
local fish stocks. With sustainable fisheries, food security will increase, and the quality of
life for the local community will follow.
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