Problem statement

Approximately 90% of fishers work in small-scale fisheries, and an additional 100 million people are employed in associated activities (e.g. processing, transporting, marketing; data from FAO). In many cases, these fisherfolk are trapped in a cycle of poverty, their fisheries are overexploited, and their coastal habitats are degraded. Fisherfolk often work in unsafe and illegal conditions for low pay, with little access to the market chain, and they have limited opportunities to diversify their livelihoods. Furthermore, fisherfolk are removed from the process of governance, and social issues such as substance abuse jeopardise fisherfolk’s prospects and those of their families.

These are issues that FisherFolkFirst seeks to address.