Fishing is a global industry that employs up to about 200 million people all over the world. Furthermore, there are far more people who are in some way dependent on fishing for their survival.
A considerable number of catches are made along the world’s coastlines. A large amount of fishing is also done way out to sea. However, fishing in lakes and streams, and aquaculture such as shrimp farming, also provides a large proportion of our fish and shellfish for consumption.
For those who choose to sell the surplus from their catches, fishing is obviously an important – and often vital – source of income. But for many people living in poverty, fishing can also be the only way to acquire the important proteins, vitamins and other nutrients that are prevalent in fish and shellfish and which we all require.
Fish is the primary source of animal protein for about 1 billion people in the world. For some, fish and shellfish may be the only food source available.
The importance of fishing to economic development
With a majority of the world’s fishermen based along the coastlines of countries with widespread poverty, their degree of success directly affects economic development. Another sign of the importance of fishing is that the sum of these countries’ export income from fishing and other forms of aquaculture exceeds their total income from the export of rice, coffee, tea and cocoa.
Unfortunately, it has been proved that fishing is no longer the reliable source of provisions that it once was for all those living in the world’s coastal areas. One of the biggest threats is the excess use of resources.
Large-scale industrial fishing has simply become so efficient that the catches are bigger than some species of fish can cope with. Illegal fishing also constitutes a considerable threat to the access of fish and shellfish. Off the coast of Africa alone, more than EUR 800 million worth of fish are caught illegally every year.
The situation is hardly improved by climate changes and environmental pollution affecting the sea’s ecological balance in many areas. One example is the death of coral caused by surface water temperatures in tropical areas having risen by 1 to 2 degrees above the average in 1998. Another is the possibility of ocean currents changing as a result of the glaciers melting in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Guidelines for sustainable fishing
As part of Sida and Sweden’s drive to contribute to economic development and securing access to food for people living in poverty, we support both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In both cases, this support includes providing subsidies to global and regional programmes.
This support has resulted in guidelines and efforts to deal with emissions of land-based pollution, unsatisfactory management of sensitive marine ecosystems and illegal fishing, and to promote the joint management of cross-border fish stocks in areas including west and east Africa.
In addition, Sida has established a marine council in Sweden, which acts as a forum for discussion and advice of an overall and strategic nature. The council engages representatives from Sida, the Swedish Board of Fisheries, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Maritime Administration, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Fisheries Secretariat.
