THE STATE OF WORLD
FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE
2020
value chains in ten of these countries are being
assessed to promote blue growth actions aiming
to maximize their economic returns and social
benefits, while minimizing detrimental effects
on natural habitats and marine wildlife, with
a special attention to small-scale fisheries.
The aims are to: address the main challenges
in each of the value chains; help the countries
explore new markets,
reduce waste and losses;
and improve fishers’ working conditions – all
while ensuring sustainable management of fish
stocks and the stewardship of the ecosystems
that support those value chains.
Transformative actions of FAO’s Blue Growth Initiative
Implementation of BGI projects requires
transformative actions that embrace a blue
growth model requiring environmental,
economic and social considerations. To start
with, reducing the pressure on fish stocks often
requires a reduction in fishing effort and/or
capacity.
To achieve this successfully, alternative
income-generation activities for fishers are
needed. Similarly, improving income and
creating livelihood opportunities for women and
young people have proved necessary in order to
alleviate poverty among coastal communities
in the beneficiary countries. Finally, in order
to ensure that aquatic ecosystems can in the
future provide the food that coastal communities
depend upon, holistic management needs
to be put in place
and stewardship of those
ecosystems promoted.
Areas explored with success under FAO’s BGI to
produce alternative income-generation activities
include blue fashion, ocean ecotourism, and
fisheries services such as certification and
ecolabelling. Blue fashion uses fish industry
by-products – such as fish skins that are made
into leather clothes and shoes – creating
employment and income, especially for
women and young people. FAO is now part of
the United Nations
Alliance for Sustainable
Fashion, which supports projects and policies
that promote the fashion value chain’s
contribution to the Sustainable Development
Goals (UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion,
2020). Similarly, ecotourism that promotes
responsible recreational fishing, local
cultures and biodiversity conservation offers
significant employment alternatives, especially
for young people in coastal communities.
Successful activities have been implemented
in Kenya, and there is an ongoing regional
project (Blue Hope) involving Algeria, Tunisia
and Turkey that is looking at infrastructure,
investment and innovations.
Promoting blue growth actions often requires
an upgrade of fishing harbour infrastructure.
A fishing harbour represents a vital link for
various stakeholders (fishers, buyers, sellers,
service
providers, and public and private
institutions) concerned with the promotion
of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture – by
reducing waste and environmental pollution
and the preservation of fish nutritional
attributes, quality, prices and exports.
While having the right infrastructure at the
right place is very important for the proper
functioning of a fishing harbour, how it
is managed and maintained are crucial
considerations as well. FAO’s Blue Fishing
Ports initiative aims
to leverage the strategic
position of fishing ports in the seafood value
chain to promote positive and sustainable
socio-economic growth while reducing their
pollution footprint. Based on a successful
project implemented in Tunisia in 2018,
FAO and Spain’s Port of Vigo hosted the
world’s first Blue Fishing Ports meeting in
June 2019, bringing together government
and non-governmental representatives
from countries in Africa, Asia and Central
and South America to share experiences
of blue fishing ports
and best practices for
further dissemination.
However, implementing a blue growth
model often requires new and innovative
types of financing, from the public and
private sectors. Various financial approaches
(from impact investing to blended finance)
and mechanisms (from blue bonds to
microfinance) are increasingly being tested
and used to promote blue growth across
countries and communities worldwide.
To help raise awareness about these different
approaches and
the prerequisites for using
them, FAO has produced a series of guidance
notes with the ultimate goal of helping to
mobilize financial resources for blue growth
transformative change.
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