Food Fish


Chapter 1


GLOBAL GENDER AND ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK Chapter 4: Water


“What we take out”: fish, fishing and livelihoods


Forest Energy Chapter 2 Women, men and identity in fisheries


Some 35 million people in the world are fishers, with 90% classified as small-scale fishers. Millions of others take part in seasonal, occasional or informal fishing activities, although they may not be categorized as fishers in official statistics. When the tally of all these people is combined with those who supply inputs to fishing and post-harvest activities (and their household dependents), it is likely that more than 200 million people worldwide depend in some way on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods (FAO 2016).


Fishing provides 3 billion people with over 20% of their animal protein. It is a critical protein source for millions of food-insecure people in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) (FAO 2016; FAO 2009). In addition to supporting human health, fishing contributes to the economic health of the global economy: when the total direct, indirect and induced economic effects arising from marine fish populations are accounted for, this sector’s contribution to global economic output is estimated at about US$235 billion per year (UNEP 2011).


Open-ocean fishing is almost exclusively a male domain. Women predominate as fishers in coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, reefs, tidal flats and coastal estuaries, often gleaning and cultivating shellfish (Lambeth et al. 2014). This separation of activities is maintained through norms of femininity and masculinity: women’s fishing work is often conceptualized as “not fishing”, as if this work were an extension of their traditional role of (unpaid) household labour (SPC 2007). The association of fishing from boats, especially on open seas, with maleness is supported by cultural practices and taboos around the world with respect to women in boats (Lambeth et al. 2002; Williams et al. 2002). The sex segregation of fishing is not merely the result of gender boundaries: in fishing communities fishing defines these boundaries (Yodanis 2000).


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Because male-identified capture fishing is considered “real” fishing, the entire fisheries sector is conventionally portrayed as a male enterprise (Willson 2014). Most official data focus on open-ocean fishing rather


Women selling fish on the Indonesian island of Flores Photo credit: © Doug Walsh - www.twofargone.com


than the entire fishing cycle, which means women’s contributions are largely hidden. Although women are significant actors in the “social system of fishing” (Nadel-Klein and Davis 1988), gender-disaggregated databases on fisheries-related work are very limited, making it difficult to introduce concepts relating to gender in relevant decision-making and policy platforms. Failure to fully account for participation in fishing activities by women and men also has serious implications for fisheries management.


Women make up 47% of the total global fisheries workforce when all parts of the fishing cycle are counted (World Bank 2012) (Table 2.5.1). They play a variety of roles in the fishery value chain in both large-scale and small-scale fisheries, and in both developed and developing countries. Women are more heavily involved than men in post-production fishery activities such as processing and selling of fish and fish parts. They also support fishing efforts by making and repairing nets, building and repairing boats, maintaining equipment, and other ancillary jobs. They often derive income from small businesses that support men’s direct fishing efforts. Moreover, women are frequently involved in the financial aspects of fishing as investors, managers or boat owners. While these are essential activities, women in fishing-dependent communities may miss out on the most available – and frequently most lucrative – source of income by not fishing themselves (Yodanis 2000).


Above all, women are responsible for household nutritional security. In this role they are purchasers and consumers of fish, as well as fish sellers or traders. While roles and responsibilities within the fishing sector vary from one location to another, women’s responsibility to provide nutritional security for their


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