Setting the Stage

Abstract

This book is about small-scale fisheries and the many poor and ­vulnerable people who draw their livelihoods from this sector. The focus is on what fishing means to them, their adaptations to shifting environments, and how fisheries ­contribute to food security and well-being. It is also about institutions and governance of small-scale fisheries, and how they influence the coping capabilities of the people in addressing poverty and vulnerability. Drawing on case studies from 15 countries around the world – from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe – the book presents a remarkable mosaic of small-scale fishers’ stories, situations, and coping strategies. Small-scale fisheries are variable, and therefore hard to define. What is small in one country is not necessarily small in another. Countries often have their own way of categorizing small-scale fisheries. Their diversity, fluctuations, and change complicate statistical comparison. This implies that policies and ­development initiatives aiming to alleviate poverty and create sustainable growth need to be tailored to the particular problems, circumstances, and opportunities that small-scale fisheries are facing, wherever they exist.