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After a year (or more, depending on where you’re located) of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns almost nothing about our work in fisheries looks the same as it did before. At the beginning of 2020, we were deeply embedded in on-the-ground projects with small scale fisheries in Peru and Chile, and developing projects in Vietnam and the Caribbean. As the virus first spread, it became too risky for many of our staff and fisher colleagues to continue to work or fish in the field, especially as…

Economic and cultural barriers mean that small-scale fishers in Peru often remain locked out from accessing financing, and from the benefits and opportunities of formalization. By Cristina Rocca, Future of Fish Sustainable Business Analyst Fishers are the stewards of the ocean, and their decisions directly impact the sustainability of the environment and the community’s livelihood. Because of this role, fishers should be well-positioned to access different sources of support and capital for projects, which can incentivize sustainability and resilience and support many UN Sustainable…

Photo: lobster fishing in Bander Bayla. When it comes to tackling the social and environmental issues of our time, no one organization has all the expertise and capacity needed to solve these complex challenges alone. But together, we can move mountains—or, in the case of fisheries, turn the tide. A recent Partnership Agreement between Future of Fish and One Earth Future Foundation’s two programs, Secure Fisheries and Shuraako, builds on this ethos, and seeks to collectively develop the mechanisms needed for scalable projects that benefit coastal communities and ocean…

Photo shows fishers in Parachique wearing PPE. At far left is Henry Juarez Ruíz, president of the coop in Parachique: Asociación de Pescadores Artesanales Dedicados a la Extracción de Pota y Perico y otros—Parachique la Bocana (APADEXPO). Back in June we launched PPE for Fisheries, a campaign to support fishers and seafood traders in Peru’s small fishing villages with the necessary protective gear and sanitation supplies to safely provide fish — a vital source of nutrition — to the Peruvian population. This project was…

The role of a system intermediary isn’t about moving fish; it’s about moving information, money, and expertise to fill gaps in the system. And it’s critical for driving sustainable small-scale fisheries. The artisanal hake fishers in Duao, Chile are organized and motivated. But like so many other small-scale fishers who want to improve their practices, increase their capacities, and make changes to ensure they’re fishing sustainably, fishers in Duao struggle to access the resources to effect change. Laid out along a beautiful stretch of coastline,…

Versión en Español a abajo Bycatch is inevitable wherever commercial fishing happens. This incidental capture and discarding of non-targeted species and undersized fish without commercial value can be extremely damaging to biodiversity, especially when it’s unmonitored and unregulated. To help improve bycatch and discard monitoring, Future of Fish partnered with Chile’s National Fisheries Service (SERNAPESCA) starting in 2018, assisting with the selection and installation of image recording devices (IRD) on industrial fleets in order to identify and track any instances of these practices onboard.…

In Peru, small scale fisheries play a critical role in food security and the national economy, supplying approximately 95% of the seafood consumed domestically and producing $902 million (USD) in revenue annually. Not surprisingly, then, fishers are considered essential workers. But in villages such as La Islilla — where deficient medical infrastructure means that COVID spread is an ongoing concern — even essential fishing is too risky without proper PPE (personal protective equipment). But sourcing of PPE and sanitation resources for businesses to open…

When it comes to tackling the social and environmental issues of our time, no one organization has all the expertise and capacity needed to solve these complex challenges alone. But together, we can move mountains—or, in the case of overfishing, turn the tide. A recent Partnership Agreement between Future of Fish and ABALOBI builds on this ethos, and seeks to drive large-scale systems change to benefit coastal communities and ocean ecosystems. Together, we hope to combine our strengths across technology, creative financing, systems design,…

Historias de pesca: René Jara (Versión en Español más abajo) René Jara, also known as "Patolín", was born in Duao, a fishing cove in the Maule region of Chile.  He began fishing when he was 15, and now — at 28 — he’s an expert in the art, catching hake, squid, crab, and elephant fish among other species. For René, fishing runs in the family: he credits his father for teaching him everything he knows. In time, René's entrepreneurial spirit led him to own…

“Fish is the perfect protein” says Oceana Chief Policy Officer, Jacqueline Savitz. We couldn’t agree more. And nothing makes us happier than seeing this, and the rationale for why, shared in a recent article in Forbes — a publication primarily focused on business, finance, and investment. It’s not your typical environmental magazine. And that’s because empowering sustainable fisheries is as much an effort to address food security and livelihoods as it is about environmental protection. Globally, over 3 billion people rely on fish as their primary source of…

Historias de pesca: Pedro (Versión en Español más abajo) Pedro is a fisher from Chorrillos, a coastal area on the Southern outskirts of Lima in Peru. For Pedro, fishing is a lifestyle: his dad taught him how to fish at age 13, and he started fishing with his uncles at age 14, almost thirty years ago. He has made his living from the ocean ever since. Fishing for swordfish, mahi mahi, and other species up to one hundred miles from the coast, Pedro is…

(Versión en Español más abajo) As part of Future or Fish’s response to COVID-19 in Peru, two things became clear: mobility restrictions were severely hindering logistics, and demand had dropped significantly. In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 had changed the way people access and consume seafood in Peru — a pattern experienced by seafood supply chains globally. After some rapid brainstorming, one immediate initiative Future of Fish identified was a campaign to address the demand issue in Peru (read more about FoF’s other initiatives in the…