Focused on defining and developing the on-line Information System for Small-scale Fisheries (ISSF) to capture, store and communicate key parameters, and to undertake multi-level and multi-scale analysis of small-scale fisheries data.
Working groups
How we started
#1: Global Analysis
Online database: The global information system on small-scale fisheries (ISSF)
Article: The global information system on small-scale fisheries (ISSF) – A crowdsourced knowledge platform
Report: Small-Scale Fisheries of the World: Volume 1 – Who’s who is small-scale fisheries
Report: Small-Scale Fisheries of the World: Volume 2 – State of the World in small-scale fisheries
Chapter: Beyond the Basics: Improving Information About Small-Scale Fisheries
#2: Strengthening the Base
Investigated how to improve economic viability and increase resilience to large-scale processes. It explored ways to help increase the economic viability and resilience of small-scale fisheries, and enhance their adaptive capacity to the ongoing challenges.
#3: Broadening the Scope
Focused on what aspects of small-scale fisheries need to be accounted for and emphasized in order to increase awareness of their actual and potential social contributions and their overall societal importance. scale fisheries.
Book: Social Wellbeing and the Values of Small-Scale Fisheries
Webinar: Diverse values, wellbeing, and the governance of small-scale fisheries
Chapter: The Value of Values for Understanding Transdisciplinary Approaches to Small-Scale Fisheries
E-book: The meaning of small: Diverse values of small-scale fisheries
#4: Enhancing the Stewardship
Aimed to understand what alternatives are available for minimizing environmental impacts and fostering stewardship within small-scale fisheries. The working group also looked into ways to promote conservation and stewardship initiatives.
Book: Enhancing stewardship in SSF: practices and perspectives
Special issue: Enhancing stewardship in Latin America and Caribbean
Special issue: Enhancing Ecosystem Stewardship in Small-Scale Fisheries: Prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean
Webinar: Stewardship in small-scale fisheries: a global overview
Chapter: Stewardship and Sustainable Practices in Small-Scale Fisheries
#5: Defending the Beach
Looked at what type of mechanisms are required to secure livelihoods, physical space and rights for small-scale fishing people. The work involved spatial and temporal analysis of traditional uses, territorial rights, ownership, mobility, migration patterns, and power relations.
#6: Governing the Governance
Examined what institutions and principles are suitable for the governance of fisheries. It also looked at the extent to which existing institutions and governance systems contribute to fostering or inhibiting the quality of fisheries governance.
#7: Knowledge Integration
Encompassed synergy creation, knowledge mobilization and capacity building. Findings from all working groups were integrated and synthesized in this component, guided by the transdisciplinary perspective offered by the interactive governance framework.
Thesis
Eva Coronado
Transdisciplinary assessment of small-scale fisheries: community typology, value chain, and governability assessment
Miguel Lorenzi
Architecture of small-scale fishing boats: keeping sustainability afloat
Research clusters
How we evolved
#1: Global synthesis
Global synthesis cluster focused on various analyses that can be performed based on findings from about TBTI in-depth studies as well as on the Information System on Small-scale Fisheries (ISSF). Through comparative analysis and broad-based synthesis, the cluster generated research briefs and journal articles to communicate key messages about small-scale fisheries, illustrating why they are too big to ignore and too important to fail. The cluster also delved into the question about whether small-scale fisheries are sustainable, compared to their large-scale counterpart.
Online database: The global information system on small-scale fisheries (ISSF)
Article: The global information system on small-scale fisheries (ISSF) – A crowdsourced knowledge platform
Report: Small-Scale Fisheries of the World: Volume 1 – Who’s who is small-scale fisheries
Report: Small-Scale Fisheries of the World: Volume 2 – State of the World in small-scale fisheries
Chapter: Beyond the Basics: Improving Information About Small-Scale Fisheries
#2: SSF Guidelines
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) represent a global consensus on principles and guidance for small-scale fisheries governance and development. They are intended to guide governments, fishing communities and other stakeholders to work together and ensure sustainable small-scale fisheries for those involved in the sector and for the society at large. To support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, this cluster analyzed existing policies, strategies and actions and see how well and if at all governments around the world are ready to implement them.
#3: Diverse SSF values
Small-scale fisheries face many threats including climate change, globalization, competition from industrial fisheries and rapid market shifts. To withstand these threats, fishing people need to be prepared. A major step to achieve this is to help improve their economic viability. This research cluster looked at the factors affecting economic viability of small-scale fisheries in as many places around the world as possible, comparing and contrasting mechanisms that small-scale fishing people employ to improve their viability, and making appropriate policy recommendations in accord with these findings.
Book: Social Wellbeing and the Values of Small-Scale Fisheries
Webinar: Diverse values, wellbeing, and the governance of small-scale fisheries
Chapter: The Value of Values for Understanding Transdisciplinary Approaches to Small-Scale Fisheries
E-book: The meaning of small: Diverse values of small-scale fisheries
#4: Market opportunities
Several factors affect the capacity of small-scale fishers to sell their fish, receive fair prices, and to add value to their catches. For instance, existing national and regional regulations, globalized marketing schemes, and other trade barriers may restrict opportunities for small-scale fisheries to benefit fully from the exchange. This research cluster examined these factors and analyzed shortcomings of current schemes, and exploredopportunities for small-scale fisheries. The cluster also looked at options such as alternative food networks and direct fish trade, and use of technological innovation to help improve market shares and benefits to small-scale fishers.
#5: Economic viability
Small-scale fisheries face many threats including climate change, globalization, competition from industrial fisheries and rapid market shifts. To withstand these threats, fishing people need to be prepared. A major step to achieve this is to help improve their economic viability. This research cluster aimed at identifying factors affecting economic viability of small-scale fisheries in as many places around the world as possible, comparing and contrasting mechanisms that small-scale fishing people employ to improve their viability, and making appropriate policy recommendations in accord with these findings.
#6: Fish as Food
Concern about food security and malnutrition continues to rise globally, including among several communities living near water bodies where fish should go directly to feed local populations. Competition for fish is prevalent, not only in terms of harvesting for human consumption but also in some feed production industries that rely on fish as raw materials. How vulnerable small-scale fishing people are to malnutrition and with whom they have to compete in order to secure food for their families are questions that this research cluster aims to address.
#7: Transdisciplinary fisheries
The transdisciplinary learning cluster aims to engage researchers, practitioners, community members, fishers, and policy makers with the diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale issues surrounding small-scale fisheries systems. To promote the active engagement of this diverse audience a transdisciplinary perspective is required. A transdisciplinary framework includes a system approach to effectively examine the complexity of fisheries, multiple perspectives to transparently delineate conflicts and tradeoffs, and a transformative approach that uses research as a tool to address fisheries concerns.
#8: SSF Stewardship
While any kind of fishing, large or small, has impact on ecosystem, small-scale fishing communities hold great potential as leaders and active partners in stewardship and conservation efforts. In many instances, environmental ethic is already part of their everyday practices. This research cluster aimed at answering questions related to impacts of small-scale fisheries on ecosystem and their contribution to stewardship, drawing from as many case studies around the world as possible.
#9: Inland Fisheries
The majority of small-scale fisheries are inland. Yet, information about this sector is rather patchy, and is largely couched in the “developing country” context, focusing mostly on issues of livelihoods, poverty and economics. This research cluster conducted a global assessment of inland fisheries, exploring the role, potential contributions, and environmental impacts of inland small-scale fisheries sub-sectors. It also tried to understand the interactions between commercial, recreational and Indigenous inland fisheries, whether they are ridden with conflicts or have synergy potential.
#10: Indigenous marine fisheries
Coastal Indigenous fishing communities have close economic, social and cultural linkages with marine ecosystems that are vital for maintaining their food supply and traditions. Like other small-scale fisheries, they are vulnerable to global changes, including those related to climate. Little is known, however, about the impacts and influence of climate change on Indigenous fishing communities. This research cluster looked at global coastal Indigenous groups and their respective concerns regarding climate change.
#11: Transboundary interactions
Threats to small-scale fishing livelihoods occur not only at local or national scale, by nearby coastal development and/or conservation schemes. Dispossession of their livelihoods is also observed in cases of disputed sea boundaries as well as the globalization of fishing fleets. With the focus on the (geo-)politicization of fisheries, this cluster aim was to improve our understanding of how maritime transboundary issues intersect with the concerns of small-scale fisheries.
#12: Global change responses
Small-scale fishing communities, especially those living in low lying area, are highly susceptible to coastal disaster, caused by climate and other global change. Many of them have managed to cope and adapt, while others remain at risk. This research aimed to understand how small-scale fishing communities respond to change and identify factors and conditions that make it possible for them to cope and adapt.
#13: SSF Rights
In accord with the SSF Guidelines, this cluster emphasized the need for small-scale fishing communities to secure tenure rights to the resources, which form the basis for their social and cultural well-being, their livelihoods and their sustainable development. The cluster contributed towards the implementation of human rights-based approach to sustainable small-scale fisheries, as promoted in the SSF Guidelines.
#14: Women and Gender
The SSF Guidelines is the first international document recognizing women contribution in fisheries and calling for Gender equity and equality. The inclusion of gender equity and equality in the guidelines is important and the cluster ‘women and gender’ contributed to the implementation process of the guidelines by collecting examples from around the world about women equity and equality in small-scale fisheries, identifying barriers, challenges and opportunities in such a way to highlight the approaches that can be used to implement gender equity and equality.
Special Issue: (En)Gendering Change in Small-scale Fisheries and Fishing Communities in a Globalized World
Special Issue: Situated Transformations of Women and Gender Relations in Small-Scale-Fisheries and Communities in a Globalized world
Chapter: Gender Perspective in Fisheries: Examples from the South and the North
Webinar: Gendered coasts
Transdisciplinary research
Moving forward
The big five questions driving TBTI transdisciplinary research
What options exist for improving the economic viability of small-scale fisheries and increasing their resilience to large-scale processes of change?
What aspects of small-scale fisheries need to be accounted for and emphasized in order to increase awareness of their actual and potential social contributions and their overall societal importance?
What alternatives are available for minimizing environmental impacts and fostering stewardship within small-scale fisheries?
What mechanisms are required to secure livelihoods, physical space and rights for small-scale fishing people?
What institutions and principles are suitable for the governance of small-scale fisheries?