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 research featured in Nature.
The study, by an international team of scientists including researchers at Lancaster University, 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 low-tech, labour-intensive fishing techniques to fish for food or to earn money compared to large-scale fisheries. Historically, decision-makers have marginalised 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.
"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 could be detrimental - not just to fisherfolk, but to the environment and society as a whole," said co-lead author Professor Xavier Basurto, who was at the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment during the time of research.
"Our analysis shows that small-scale fisheries contribute almost half the catch across all fisheries. They have a critical role to play in meeting the food security and nutritional needs of billions of people," added co-lead author Dr Nicolas L. Gutierrez, senior fishery officer for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
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 of FAO. "Answering that question was more complicated, requiring a huge team of diverse experts in fields like fisheries science, nutrition, governance, gender and economics."
More than 800 contributors from around the world worked on the new study. They collected and analysed 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.
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 one in four people likely depends on small-scale fisheries to supply a substantial portion of several key nutrients.
Professor Christina Hicks from Lancaster University and who led nutrition analyses on the research, said: "Small-scale fisheries are essential food systems, supporting healthy diets around the world, as food insecurity and malnutrition continue to rise. This study recognises the need to manage fisheries for local nutrient needs."
The study collected global catch data spanning ecosystems and fishing sectors, and paired these with large databases on seafood consumption and the nutrient content of fish and shellfish.
"Aquatic foods are packed with micronutrients and eaten all over the world, but contributions of small-scale fisheries to public health are often hidden. Our study shows that lakes, rivers, mangroves, coral reefs, and open ocean fisheries all play vital roles in supporting global food security and nutrition," said Dr James Robinson, also of Lancaster University.
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 underrecognised 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 at Duke University.
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 analysed, 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," Dr Gutierrez said.
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 Professor Basurto, who is now 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 Professor 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 study is detailed in the paper "Illuminating the Multi-dimensional Contributions of Small-Scale Fisheries."
DOI:10.1038/s41586-024-08448-z
