Artisanal Fishing: Its Future and Solvency as an Economic Activity

1. Artisanal Fishing: Its Future and Solvency as an Economic Activity By Audun Lem 11/7/2011 Official of FAO Division, Rome

2. Objectives • Background • Defining small-scale artisanal and its role in the fisheries sector • How to strengthen the sector • Examples • Conclusions

3. World Fish Production

4. World Fish Production aquaculture catch FAO

5. Per Caput Food Supply

6. Employment in Fishing • In 2008, 44.9 million people engaged in capture fisheries or aquaculture worldwide. • of 167% since 1980 • Majority of increase in developing countries, mostly in Asia • In developed countries, employment in fishing decreasing • In 2008, ~ 1.3 million people employed in developed countries • of 11% since 1990.

7. How do we define artisanal small-scale fishers? • Artisanal can be characterized as labor intensive • For small-scale, there are numerous highly diverse definitions • Spatial categories exist but problematic as substantial regional differences • Lack of a clear definition make it difficult to demonstrate the role of small-scale fisheries

8. Size distribution of motorized fishing vessels (FAO State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2010)

9. The hidden harvests: the global contribution of capture fisheries (World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center, 2010) • Small-scale capture fisheries contribute > half of the world’s marine and inland fish catch • Nearly all used for direct human consumption • Employ > 90% of the worlds fishers • Substantial underestimation of the small-scale sector

10. Pauly, 2006

11. FAO and the Small-Scale Sector • Creating international voluntary guidelines on securing sustainable small-scale fisheries • Will establish definition within various criteria • size, type • ownership • time commitment • disposal/utilization of catch • others • Guidelines will provide recommendations, and information to assist states

12. Future and Solvency as an Economic Activity • Focus on market differentiation: • Must add value to differentiate their product in the market place • Clearly differentiating product will educate consumers • Focus on capacity building: • Organization of fishers • Access to infrastructure • Support of labeling and certification costs • Diversify income streams • More data

13. Examples

14. Local, Direct Sales • New strategy borrowed directly from the small-scale agriculture farmers • Farmers face similar trends, turned to selling directly to obtain a higher price

15. Local, Direct Sales • Increases income and adds value to product • Allows fishers to build up customer base • Consumer gets interaction with fisher • Higher quality product • Collaboration of agriculture and fishing sector in Malaysia to create new markets

16. Community Supported Fishery (CSF) • Farmers created community supported agriculture (CSA) shares that functions as a buy-in club • Consumers or “shareholders” pay the farmer for a share of the harvest in advance • For farmer, payment covers seasonal start-up production costs • For consumer, get a regular share of fresh produce during production season • Model has now been adapted for fish

17. Community Supported Fishery (CSF) • Prepayment is the shareholder’s investment in “their” fishers • Variety of fish species are provided on a seasonal basis • Fishers are able to sell their products at a premium

18. CSF Businesses • At least 12 CSFs in France and possibly others in EU • 20 total in the U.S. • Offer weekly/biweekly options and 1-3 kg size shares

19. Community Supported Fishery • Shareholders learn about new fish species, seasonality in seafood, enjoy supporting local • Tells the story behind the fish

20. Cleanfish, Wholesale Distributor • Distributor of sustainably caught fish from artisanal producers • Focus on transparency, traceability and high quality • “Stewards of the Artisan’s Stories”

21. Cleanfish, Marketing Techniques • Profile upstream (who is catching fish and how) and downstream (places to buy fish, celebrity chefs) • Have ecological advisory and vetting committee • Established CleanFish Index as a sustainability assessment tool Upstream Downstream

22. Labeling Strategies • South West Handline Fisherman Association, UK • Label their hook and line caught sea bass • Label also includes a number, which identifies the fishers who caught it on website

23. TAG04 - Richard Tomlinson name: Richard Tomlinson age: Born 1944, Age 63 how long fishing: from age of 8 favorite lure/bait: Rod & Line fishing with natural & artificial baits home port: Falmouth main market: Newlyn boat name: Storm Petrel FH683

24. Labeling Strategies • pescadeRías – a quality brand created by Xunta de Galicia • Requirements for label: • must come from artisanal fisheries • captured a maximum of 24 hrs prior to sale • must comply with a series of legal prescriptions for sustainability • no chemical preservatives or artificial additives

26. Labeling Strategies • Label Rouge – French certification programme • Denotes super quality • Now for a variety of seafood • Market for Label Rouge products growing

27. Promotion of Underutilized Species • “Switch the Fish” campaign in UK • 387 store grocery store chain will offer customers asking for one of the “big five” (salmon, tuna, cod, haddock, prawns) an alternative for free

28. Promotion of Underutilized Species • Suppliers will pay cost • Alternatives = coley, pouting, megrim, rainbow trout and mackerel • Will it be successful? • 43% of fish eaters do not want to try a new fish if unsure of taste • 31% admit they would not try a new fish if unsure how to cook it

29. Consumer Education through Media • Publication of magazine “Côté mer” in 2000-2001 • Developed in partnership between biggest distribution chains in France • Included sections on fisheries news, gears, culture, children and fish, practical guide for consumers, gastronomic section with recipes • Reached one million consumers throughout France

30. Promotion Considerations • Define the concept and priorities of a promotional programme beforehand • Ascertain whether purpose is to consume more, less or differently • Plan for the financial aspects for promotion and communication • Better document the implementation and results of the programme • For labels, must be accessible to fishers while still upholding standards

31. Capacity Building, CFC • Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) project in Honduras, Mexico and Cuba with fishing cooperatives • Aimed to increase contribution of artisanal fishers communities to supply of domestic and international markets and increase income • Purposes: • training • equipment • value addition • dissemination of results • investments

32. Results of CFC Project • Informal and formal courses developed in all three countries, benefited ~ 300 people directly • Four ice plants installed, received fish boxes, working tools and clothes • Promotional material for seafood created • Assistance in application for loans • Dissemination of results through Fish Info networks

33. Aquaculture Societies, NACA • Since 2000, Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA), organized small-scale shrimp farmers in India into 712 aqua societies • Covers > 15,700 farmers, production of ~ 16,000 tons • Resulted in reduction of disease and cost of production, improvement of yield and shrimp quality

34. Certification of Aquaculture Societies certification • Access to a higher value market • Prohibitively expensive and impractical for individuals • NACA helped create guidelines for aquaculture society certification • Society manages and documents an internal quality assurance system, provides a legal mechanism for granting recognition to a group of farmers • Pilot testing has been successful

35. Conclusions • Focus is too often on the negative • Artisanal fishers bring important value to their product that they must market! • Fishers need help to build capacity • Consumer education is vital

36. Gracias