This past World Fisheries Day, on 21st November 2025, I had the privilege of attending a global forum that brought into focus the often-overlooked inland fisheries. Organized by TBTI Global, the webinar brought together researchers, students, government officials, and representatives from various national, regional, and global organizations.
Within the umbrella of TBTI Global, the National University of Colombia – San Andrés Campus, the University of Magdalena, and York University (Canada) are jointly leading the TBTI Hub Colombia.
The Second Philippines Small-Scale Fisheries National Symposium (PSSFNS2) was held last 21-23 October 2025 at the Mindanao State University – Main Campus, Marawi City, with the theme, ‘From Recognition to Action: Advancing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Philippines’.
TBTI Mexico is holding its second workshop, focusing on local solutions to national, regional and global problems in small-scale fisheries. The highlight of the workshop will undoubtedly be the launch of the TBTI Mexico e-book ‘Un Mar de Retos y Oportunidades en la Pesca Artesanal Mexicana’.
We are excited to share with you the announcement for the #5 World SSF Congress, which will be held on April 27 to May 1, 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. The congress will be hosted by TBTI Global, in partnership with Thailand Department of Fisheries, SEAFDEC, and other key organizations.
The National Consortium for the Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development or Too Big To Ignore (TBTI) Philippines is calling for abstracts for the Second Philippines Small-Scale Fisheries National Symposium (PSSFNS2) that will take place on 21-23 October 2025 in Marawi City.
Two-part TBTI Global Webinar for World Day of Social Justice, February 20, 2025 will feature a presentation on ‘Sustainable small-scale fisheries: Why it is not possible without social justice’ by Fikret Berkes and Nicole Franz and a presentation on ‘Blue Justice Alert: Oil spill and swell in Lobitos, Peru’ by Emi Koch, Tulio Chapilliquén and Henry Espinoza Panta.
Elisabeth Mann Borgese Ocean Lecture Series commemorates and celebrates the life and work of Elisabeth Mann Borgese, founder of the International Ocean Institute.
important ocean issues. 2024 EMB Ocean Lecture featured a panel discussion on ‘Small-scale fisheries: Food system, social justice and biodiversity‘.
For 2024 World Fisheries Day, we’re contemplating the idea “Just Harmony,” as a way to bring attention to how small-scale fisheries can help restore or bring harmony to coastal and ocean space. It’s harmony in the sense of being respectful of each other, and of the differences. It is also in the sense of working together to deal with the ‘best’ option that does not necessarily seem to be ‘just’, at least not from the perspective of small-scale fisheries. Just Harmony can be learning moments for all, like learning to live together, despite our differences.
The Charles Darwin Foundation is hosting the online launch of their new book, ‘Mujeres de tierra y de mar,’ on November 21, at 15h00 (GTM-6). The book is a collection of testimonies and life experiences from women who have been part of the Galapagos artisanal fisheries.
Over the past year TBTI Japan has been busy on all fronts, producing several publications, hosting a number of national and international events and working continuously on raising the awareness of the importance and values of small-scale fishing people and communities in Japan.
The International Conference on Aquaculture and Fisheries (ICAF) 2024 was held under the theme ‘Blue Revolution for Healthy People, Economy, and Environment.’ One of the highlights of the conference was the announcement of the TBTI e-book series, The Beauty and Bounty at Risk, the first book dedicated to small-scale fisheries in Nepal.
The First Philippines Small-Scale Fisheries National Symposium (PSSFNS1) was held on the 16-18 of October, 2024, at the University of the Philippines Visayas Iloilo City Campus with the theme, “Small-scale Fisheries in the Philippines are Too Big to Ignore”. The symposium was the first of its kind in the country that was highly focused on small-scale fisheries.
On September 12, 2024, over 60 people from academia and the federal government gathered to discuss the role of social sciences and humanities (SSH) in ocean policymaking. Participants explored the challenges, prospects, and next steps for positioning SSH in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, with a focus on fisheries.
The four-day SSF Regional Symposium for Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Mazatlán, Mexico, brought together 70 participants to share experiences, research, lessons and stories about small-scale fisheries in the Latin America and the Caribbean, and to discuss their viability and sustainability.
Check out the CBC NL interview with TBTI Japan hub coordinator Yinji Li and Kimberly Orren, the co-founder of Fishing for Success, a social enterprise located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
This August, the Geography Department of Memorial University hosted the 2024 Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting in St. John’s, Canada. The attendees explored and shared diverse perspectives and methodologies on the theme ‘Edges’ to challenge the status quo and broaden the understanding of Geography.
If you have been following our news, you would have noticed that an official launch of a TBTI country hub is accompanied by a cake. We didn’t have that in Kuala Lumpur when the writing team came together to work on the SSF Malaysia E-book in July.
TBTI Global recently participated in the first regional Small-Scale Fisheries Summit for Africa, held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on June 5-7, 2024, organized to mark and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the SSF Guidelines.
Check out some of the recent publications about small-scale fisheries in Europe. These works cover a broad spectrum of topics and case studies, including coastal and maritime cultural heritage, implementation of the SSF Guidelines in Sweden, participatory analysis of fishing sector in Cyprus, and others.