Improving our knowledge on small-scale fisheries: data needs and methodologies

Book excerpt: Small-scale fisheries play an important role in contributing to food security, nutrition, livelihoods and local and national economies. However, there is often limited data and information available (or not easily accessible) on their contributions, and hence small scale fisheries tend to be overlooked and marginalized in policy processes, leading to low levels of support for the sector. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and P overty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines), adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2014, provide a policy framework for how to ensure sustainability for small-scale fisheries through a holistic and integrated approach. However, this transformational process needs substantial support to take place and be successful, which may be difficult to obtain in the absence of better data and information on the socio-economic contributions of small-scale fisheries. For this reason, a new study has been proposed by FAO and WorldFish to build upon the 2012 World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center report Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries. The new study would deepen the knowledge and encourage data-sharing on small-scale fisheries and their socio-economic contributions, and also aim to make policy- and decision-makers aware of the sector’s importance.