Aligning the sustainable development goals to the small-scale fisheries guidelines: A case for EU fisheries governance

Abstract

Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, several countries, funding organizations, environmental groups and research communities have pledged support and made commitment to help achieve these goals. SDG14: Life Below Water, for instance, has been embraced as the global goal for conservation and sustainable uses of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Among its many targets, SDG14b speaks directly to small-scale fisheries, calling for secured access to resources and markets for this sector. We argue that achieving SDG 14b requires a holistic approach encompassing several SDGs, including livelihoods, economic growth, community sustainability, strong institutions and partnerships. It is also important to align the SDG targets with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), as the mutuality that exists between the scope and nature of the two instruments can help guide the formulation of appropriate governance tools. Yet, the alignment of these two instruments alone does not guarantee sustainability of small-scale fisheries, especially without an official mandate from the governments. The case in point is the European Union where small-scale fisheries are not sufficiently recognized within the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), despite being the largest sector (75% of the fleet). Through an examination of the CFP in the context of the SSF Guidelines and the SDGs, we discuss options and possibilities for inclusive consideration of small-scale fisheries in the upcoming policy reform, which might then lead to both achieving fisheries sustainability and the SDGs in the EU.

Sustainable development goals and the strategic role of business: A systematic literature review

“…All the studies adopt a qualitative methodology to investigate the industry role. Whereas Endl, Tost, Hitch, Moser, and Feiel (2019) and Said and Chuenpagdee (2019) use a conceptual approach, Moomen et al (2019) review prior literature. Monteiro, da Silva, and Moita Neto (2019) and Selmier and Newenham‐Kahindi (2017) investigate American and African industry contexts through onsite visits.…”

Bringing ‘Deep Knowledge’ of Fisheries into Marine Spatial Planning

“…context. Here, the fishing sector is not envisaged as one of the five key pillars of the EU Blue Growth strategy on the argument that growth from fisheries cannot happen with the current overexploited status of fish stocks (Blomeyer et al, 2017;Hadjimichael, 2018;Said & Chuenpagdee, 2019). It is highly probable that the Blue Growth strategy will have a huge influence on the MSP processes, at least in some regions (e.g.…”

Small-scale fishermen: Poverty as a challenge to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Sunda Strait

“…From this composition, as not poor fishers are ship crew, crew machine, and captain. Poverty in SDGs reflects the lack of access to resources and markets (Said & Chuenpagdee 2019). Although the production sharing system is applied, in several places such as Nabire (Tuharea 2015) and Sibolga (Argawansyah 2019) have a different situation, the distribution system according to community habits is more beneficial for ship crew.…”