Illuminating Hidden Harvests in Marine Ecosystems

Small-scale fisheries are a crucial source of food and employment for millions of people worldwide. They account for at least 40% of the global catch from capture fisheries and provide employment for an estimated 60.2 million people, about 90% of the total number employed in fisheries globally.

The economic value of these fisheries is only a part of their importance they also define the livelihoods, nutrition, and culture of a substantial and diverse segment of humankind. The study, Illuminating Hidden Harvests, aims to uncover the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries in areas such as food security, sustainable livelihoods, poverty eradication, and healthy ecosystems.

The study estimated a set of indicators to illuminate the contributions of inland and marine small-scale fisheries to sustainable development and the challenges faced in maintaining those contributions. The indicators focused on the environmental, economic, gender, food security and nutrition, and governance dimensions of small-scale fisheries.

The study was conducted in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.

The report emphasizes the importance of empowering small-scale fishers and fish workers and working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and resilient small-scale fisheries subsector.