This webinar on 26 May 2023 in the series of monthly events of the V2V research platform uncovered the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries through a multidisciplinary approach to data collection and analysis. Nicole Franz, Equitable Livelihoods Team Leader at the Fisheries Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) summarised key results from a multi-annual international research effort labelled “Illuminating Hidden Harvests. The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development”.

The report is available free of charge from the FAO website. It aims to contribute to a more holistic understanding of what small-scale fisheries are, their importance, why they are essential for efforts to achieve the SDGs. By using this knowledge wisely within a human rights-based approach in line with the SSF Guidelines, and by empowering small-scale fishers and fishworkers, a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and resilient small-scale scale fisheries subsector can be achieved, supporting the transition from vulnerability to viability.

The large research team of more than 800 contributors from around the globe adopted a multidisciplinary approach to cast light on the often hidden importance and achievements of men and women in small-scale fisheries and their highly significant, but usually undervalued contribution to human nutrition and food security. Case studies in 58 countries representing 69% of global marine catches and 62% of global inland water catches formed the basis of the study. They were complemented by an FAO administered questionnaire, several global, regional and thematic databases and other existing information sources. Gender advisers helped pay attention to considering the social and economic roles of men and women separately and together. The major take-home messages are summarised in the poster below (also available as a pdf file).

We strongly recommend to watch the full lecture with the subsequent Q&A session that can be viewed here.