Editors: Vesna Kerezi, Dorota Kinga Pietruszka & Ratana Chuenpagdee
Small-scale fisheries provide livelihoods and food security to millions of women and men around the word. They make important contribution to the local and national economy, as well as represent diverse value, cultural identity and heritage of many coastal communities. As commitments are being made to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), small-scale fisheries have even more prominent role to play, given their connection to land and sea and their intersection with all goals. Unfortunately, in the framing of the oceans as the new economic and development frontier, many development initiatives, promoted through Blue Growth and Blue Economy agenda, tend to ignore small-scale fisheries, excluding them from the discussion and putting them in disadvantaged situations.
It does not have to be this way. Some of these development agendas promote social and economic development objectives that align well with small-scale fisheries characteristics and values. More needs to be done to encourage good alignments as well as to adjust and re-balance sustainable development initiatives to fully benefit from the current and potential contributions of small-scale fisheries in achieving all SDGs. Pushing towards a more equitable and just space for small-scale fisheries requires, first and foremost, an understanding of the current situations, looking at the kind of injustices and inequity that may be happening and affecting women and men involved in small-scale fisheries, their families and their communities.
With this in mind, TBTI has gathered stories and examples of policies, programs, projects, initiatives, regulatory frameworks, as well as other situations that create different types of injustice and inequity in small-scale fisheries. The first release of the ‘Blue Justice for Small-Scale Fisheries – A Global Scan’ e-book that contains 18 stories from 14 countries has been publish in the summer of 2020. These stories are also captured in the ISSF ‘Blue Justice Alert’ dataset that allows anyone (including you!) to alert the world about injustice and other threats for small-scale fisheries in communities, regions, countries, etc.
Blue Justice for Small-Scale Fisheries: What, why and how
Introductory chapter to the e-book
This e-book is part of the first steps in unpacking what happens at sea, on land, and in inland areas that disadvantage and marginalize small-scale fisheries and make them vulnerable. The stories about social injustice and
inequity in small-scale fisheries from around the world offer insights and lessons that can be shared, as well as invite us to think and act individually and collectively about what we can do to bring Blue Justice for small-scale fisheries.Ratana Chuenpagdee
Blue Justice for Small-Scale Fisheries - A Global Scan
Volumes I, II & III



Recent chapters




Translated chapters

Share your story
The ‘Blue Economy’ and ‘Blue Growth’ initiatives, which frame the oceans as the new economic and development frontier, have entered the international agenda over the past decade. Although some of these development agendas imply an alignment with social objectives and speak to small-scale fisheries concerns, many are oriented towards further technological innovation, industrialization of the oceans, and commodification of the marine resources. These initiatives pose a potential risk to the livelihoods and wellbeing of small-scale fisheries, as they could affect access to coastal and ocean spaces, fisheries resources, and markets. Therefore, it is essential to push towards a more equitable and just oceans for small-scale fishing, and one way to do this is to enhance knowledge about the current situations, looking at social injustice and inequity issues affecting women and men involved in small-scale fisheries.
With this background, TBTI is calling for contributions from everyone to submit stories and examples of policies, programs, projects, initiatives, regulatory frameworks, as well as other situations that create different types of injustice and inequity in small-scale fisheries, putting them in a disadvantaged and marginalized position.
If you would like to make contribution, please complete the ‘Blue justice for small-scale fisheries’ template below as much as you can, and send along two pictures of the small-scale fisheries that you’re writing about. Make sure to include your name, affiliation, and email address to gather your contact information. For additional guidance on the required information, check some of the already published chapters in the e-book. Please return the complete form to us by email at [email protected]. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to get in contact.