Social development issues and fisheries

Abstract

The vast majority of small-scale fisherfolk are from low-income developing countries. Recent studies of poverty in fishing communities show that cash incomes from fishing are often higher than earnings from agriculture, but vulnerability and insecurity are higher too. Livelihood insecurity and lack of social and human capital limit fisherfolks' ability and motivation to participate in resource governance, and hinders their capacity to engage successfully with globalising markets. This working paper focuses on the capture fisheries sector. This document is a draft paper to be used for discussion purposes only