TBTI Global

Three new articles featured in the latest issue of Samudra

‘Old Values, New Challenges’ by Yinji Li from Tokai University and TBTI Japan

This article addresses current challenges faced by fishing communities in Japan. Japan’s Fisheries Co-operative Association (FCA) has managed fisheries and their resources for centuries. However, recent issues such as a decline in fish catch, low fish prices, and high oil costs have caused a significant impact on fishers and their communities. As a result, the FCA has undergone restructuring and downsizing for the first time after 70 years, resulting in a loss of trust among fisheries nationwide. This is a critical issue as small-scale fishing communities may be affected. Therefore, adopting the Blue Justice approach to the Blue Economy and Growth agendas is imperative to prevent injustices in this vulnerable sector. On a positive note, several economic activities have been conducted by communities known as Umigyo in Japanese. These activities aim to increase fishing households’ incomes by utilizing various resources, such as restaurants, boat trips, environmental education, and other commercial ventures while focusing on the needs of coastal communities. The FCA is now working under this term to ensure the rights and livelihoods of these communities.

‘A New Era of Hope’ by Ratana Chuenpagdee from Memorial University and TBTI Global

The International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) and the 10th Anniversary of the SSF Guidelines call for an opportunity to see how small-scale fisheries are doing worldwide and what has yet to be done. This article highlights the global commitments that are needed to strengthen the knowledge of small-scale fisheries and protect their livelihoods and outlines the efforts of TBTI Global. Specifically, TBTI Global is launching The New Era of Support by releasing a second book on the SSF Guidelines, supporting new fishery initiatives in Thailand, and launching the SSF Regional Symposium Series. TBTI also developed a transdisciplinary training program to build capacity worldwide. In addition, several country hubs were created, including Japan, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, to improve small-scale fisheries management and governance regionally. More initiatives will come in 2024 to enhance the quality and capacity for small-scale fisheries governance, support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, and achieve relevant Sustainable Development Goals and Blue Justice development opportunities worldwide.

‘A Sense of Home’ by Maarten Bavinck from the University of Amsterdam

This article reviews the book The Gift of Community – More Essays on Human Experiences of Small-scale Fisheries, written by Svein Jentoft. Among other, the reviewer emphasizes the fact that while plenty of publications and policy directives on small-scale fisheries highlight the hardships and the difficulties experienced by those employed in the sector, Svein Jentoft’s perspective is unique, as he explores the human side of the relationship between these fisheries and their communities. Communities provide social relationships that produce individual cooperation, providing a sense of self and dignity. Through short essays, the author discusses small-scale fisheries before and after the SSF Guidelines and the conditions needed for the Guidelines to work. It also draws on how north and south worldwide communities face similar problems, “such as loss of income, tenure rights, political marginalization, and community erosion”. Altogether, this book is about people – men, women, and children – in small-scale fisheries and those involved in their governance.