Impact
Resilient Communities
Thriving fisheries mean thriving fishing communities.
Efforts to improve the sustainability of seafood must involve the people who produce that seafood and the communities they sustain. SFP works to advance opportunities for fishing communities worldwide, aiming to improve their livelihoods and ensure they can keep delivering seafood to an ever-demanding world.
Creating resilient livelihoods and communities begins with fishers having a legal right to fish and the capacity to participate in decisions that affect them. Equally important is enhancing community capacity to retain value locally, fostering the economic resilience of coastal areas. Globally, we support fishers and their communities in maximizing product value and reducing costs, ensuring the optimal use of marine natural resources.
As community incomes increase, so does the potential for investing in local infrastructure and services, which improves well-being and expands opportunities for all. SFP is dedicated to addressing the multidimensional poverty affecting small-scale fishers and fishing communities by integrating governance and economic initiatives that sustain ecosystems and empower entire communities.
More than 113 million people are directly employed in small-scale and artisanal fisheries, representing more than 90 percent of the workforce in capture fisheries. Nearly all are located in developing countries.
Supporting resilient communities
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Ensuring legal rights for fishers
Many artisanal and small-scale fishers lack legal fishing rights or legal status, meaning that they do not reap the full benefits of their efforts and their products can be deemed illegal in international markets. -
Supporting fisher organization and participation
Representative organizations can mobilize fishers and act on their behalf, enabling them to participate fully in decisions and structures that affect their livelihoods. -
Advancing sustainability in domestic markets
Most seafood caught or produced around the world is sold in domestic markets, and never reaches international destinations where there might be a premium for sustainable products. Domestic market incentives for good practice can help improve the livelihoods of fishers and their communities.
What can I do?
Contact SFP to learn more about how you can help support resilient communities.
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