Small-scale fisheries play a significant but overlooked role in global fisheries production and are key to addressing hunger and malnutrition while supporting livelihoods around the world, according to new research featured in Nature. Published online on Jan. 15 by an international team of scientists, including WorldFish experts, the study is the first to rigorously quantify how marine and inland small-scale fisheries contribute to aquatic harvests and nutritional and socioeconomic security on a global scale.
Although definitions vary, small-scale fisheries generally comprise households or communities, mostly in lower- to middle-income countries, that use lower-tech, more labor-intensive fishing techniques to fish for food or to earn money compared to large-scale fisheries. Historically, decision-makers have marginalized small-scale fisheries in resource management plans, food system analyses, and agricultural, nutritional and development policies, for various reasons. For example, census data usually groups small-scale fishers with agricultural workers.
“It’s hard to fully value what you don’t measure,” said David Mills, a project principal investigator, co-author and WorldFish Principal Scientist. “Small-scale fisheries are often overlooked in science and policy because their true contributions go unmeasured. Our research highlights their essential role not just in providing fish, but in addressing hunger, supporting livelihoods, and driving sustainable development. It’s time to recognize their full value and reflect it in global research and policies.”
“Millions of people who fish marine and inland waters have essentially been flying under the radar of science and policy. Ignoring their contributions and needs couple be detrimental - not just to fisherfolk, but to the environment and society as a whole,” said co-lead author Xavier Basurto, who was the Bass Chair for Excellence in Teaching and Research at the Duke University School of the Environment during the time of the research.
In 2017, FAO forged a unique partnership with WorldFish and Duke University to assess how small-scale fisheries fit into the U.N.’s Agenda for Sustainable Development, a blueprint for addressing global challenges such as hunger, poverty and gender inequality. The new study builds on a 2023 report published by the group, who call their collaboration the Illuminating Hidden Harvests Initiative (IHH).
“Our driving question was simple: Who produces aquatic foods, how and for whom?” said co-author Nicole Franz, who leads the Equitable Livelihoods Team in FAO’s Fishery and Aquaculture Division and had the initial idea for IHH. “Answering that question was more complicated, requiring a huge team of diverse experts in fields like fisheries science, nutrition, governance, gender and economics.”
All told, more than 800 contributors from around the world worked on the study. They collected and analyzed troves of data from case studies, surveys and databases for insight into the impact of small-scale fisheries on issues such as global catch, nutrition and employment.
“By combining diverse data sources and collaborating with over 800 contributors, we have been able to not only measure diverse dimensions of small-scale fisheries but also highlight their global significance. This approach reveals their critical role in addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges, from hunger to climate resilience,” said David Mills.
The findings reveal that small-scale fisheries are integral to meeting Sustainable Development Goals related to reducing hunger, poverty and the impacts of climate change, and to enhancing aquatic conservation, women’s rights and economic growth.
For example, catch from small-scale fisheries provides 20% of dietary intake across six essential nutrients — including vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids — to 2.3 billion people who live within 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, of a coastline or large inland water body. In other words, about 1 in 4 people likely depends on small-scale fisheries to supply a substantial portion of several key nutrients.
In addition, almost 500 million people, or one in 12 individuals, are at least partially dependent on small-scale fishing for their livelihoods, a catchall term to describe the means used for meeting basic needs. Nearly half of those people are women — an underrecognized demographic in fisheries research.
“Women participate in all aspects of fishing, from prep work, to catching fish, to processing activities such as cleaning fish. They’re essential to these production systems that put food on the table for millions,” said co-author John Virdin, director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and a faculty member at the Nicholas School.
At least 40% of global catch comes from small-scale fisheries, the study found. Small-scale fisheries also contribute 44% of landed economic value, or money generated by fisheries globally.
Of all small-scale fisheries analyzed, African operations contribute most to global catch and nutrition. Meanwhile, small-scale fisheries in Oceania — which includes nations in the South and Central Pacific Ocean — play a major role in supporting livelihoods in the region.
“Our findings from Oceania help show just how important small-scale fishing is in countries where opportunities to make a living are more limited. In these cases, additional efforts for achieving effective fisheries management and governance to ensure the sustainability of the sub-sector are needed,” said co-lead author Nicolas L. Gutierrez, senior fishery officer for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Despite their considerable societal contributions, many small-scale fishers do not have authority over their fisheries. Specifically, about two-thirds of catch from small-scale fisheries in 51 countries surveyed come from fishers with no formal rights to participate in resource management and decision-making processes, according to the study.
Lacking authority, small-scale fishers are vulnerable to external competition or exclusionary policies that could compromise the natural resources they rely on and their potential contributions to sustainable development.
“Often these fishers have been rooted in aquatic environments and communities for hundreds to thousands of years. The lack of appropriate support from local or national authorities often undermines local efforts to avoid free-for-all scenarios that can easily lead to overfishing,” said Basurto, who is now on faculty at the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University.
The study paves the way for additional policy action by governments and policymakers to best support small-scale fisheries and, by extension, environmental and global health.
“This study has started to quantify the impact of small-scale fisheries across the world and how they relate to important policy agendas on climate change, natural-resource management, governance, conservation, gender equity, social inclusion, diets and nutrition. By making those linkages explicit, I think our research has given policymakers a pathway to support small-scale fisheries,” said co-author and WorldFish Principal Scientist Edward H. Allison.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) provided funding to FAO; Duke University received funding from the Oak Foundation; and WorldFish received funding from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) multi-donor trust fund grant through the Resilient Aquatic Food Systems Initiative.
The full paper, Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries, is available HERE
Header photo © FAO/Luis Tato