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Methods to Assess the Resources Available to Small-Scale Fisheries 





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    Technical report
    Present and future markets for fish and fish products from small-scale fisheries - Case studies from Asia, Africa and Latin America. (Available online only) 2008
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    At the twenty-sixth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, FAO was requested to identify how trade in fish and fish products could further benefit small-scale fisheries and generate additional income and employment within the sector. Following this request, case studies were carried out in selected Latin American, African and Asian countries to study the importance of small-scale fisheries trade and identify opportunities for better integration into regional and international fish trade. The findings and recommendations of the case studies were presented and discussed at the tenth session of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 30 May to 2 June 2006. In the countries studied, the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to the total marine catch was significant and ranged from 70 to 95 percent. The studies show that products from small-scale fisheries are largely focused on the domestic market. In Africa regional trade in small-scale fisheries products was found to be very important for meeting the protein requirements of poor people. Women are actively involved in fish processing and marketing and also participate in capture fisheries in coastal areas and estuaries as well as in other forms of harvesting of aquatic organisms. Their involvement results in increased well-being of their households since womens income is largely spent on food and childrens education. Study findings suggest that women can gain from increasing trade opportunities through their involvement in value adding activities and enterprises. The studies identified several avenues for better integration of small-scale fisheries into regional and international fish trade. Among them are product diversification, value addition, improvement of product quality and the access to new markets. However, a number of constraints need to be overcome before this can be achieved. Post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure and lack of sto rage and transportation facilities need to be reduced and knowledge of proper fish handling methods needs to be improved. While products for export are meeting high quality standards, products for domestic and regional markets are often processed using substandard hygienic methods. Small-scale fisheries are also excluded from international markets because of the costs and difficulties encountered when trying to comply with international standards and those imposed by supermarket chains and other customers. The studies suggest that efforts should be aimed at improving facilities for preserving fish onboard, at the establishment of hygienic fish landing sites, increasing storage facilities and the supply of ice as well as improving roads, which connect fishing communities to markets. Equally important are the improvement of technical support and extension services to enable fishing communities to access appropriate technologies and information and training on quality improvement, p roper fish handling procedures and storage, product diversification, value addition as well as on packaging. Fishing communities should also be assisted in assessing their fisheries and aquatic resources and identifying those that have potential for trade in the domestic, regional and international markets. Small-scale fishers and processors can get better prices for their products by shortening the fish supply chain and increasing their bargaining and lobbying power. In this regard, the fo rmation of marketing cooperatives should be encouraged and existing associations of small-scale fishers and processors should be strengthened by providing support for institution building. There is also a need to raise awareness among microfinance institutions regarding the needs of the small-scale fisheries sector for credit and savings services.
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    Technical report
    Small-scale fisheries: assessing their contribution to rural livelihoods in developing countries. 2006
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    Traditionally, the contribution, role and importance of small-scale fisheries have often been described in thematic terms such as economic, social, employment and source of food. However, the contributions of small-scale fisheries are often interlinked and interdependent and some of their major contributions lie at the interface between these themes/sectors rather than within each. Also some of the major contributions to small-scale fisheries result from the synergies between various domains par ticularly economic and social aspects as conventionally recognized. In keeping with the vision for small-scale fisheries as proposed by the Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) Working Party on Small-scale Fisheries, it would seem appropriate to give in any such analysis due regard to the evolving concepts of food security, poverty alleviation, rural and economic development as well as the environmental and cultural dimensions of small-scale fisheries. The analysis incorporates these various concepts and moves away from the more conventional sector type or thematic approach.
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    Technical report
    Case studies on fish loss assessment of small-scale fisheries in Indonesia 2017
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    The fish loss assessment methodology outlined by the Save Food Programme (FAO 2014) and with reference to earlier work by Ward & Jeffries (2000) and Diei-Ouadi Y, Mgawe Y I (2011) had been used to undertake assessments in different locations in Java where focus on particular fishing gears, fish species and products. These were major Fishery Products (focused on squid) in Muara Angke Fishing Port, North Jakarta, DKI Jakarta; Gillnet fisheries in Tegal, Central Java; Gillnet fisheries Gunung Kidul , Yogyakarta and Small Pelagic Processed Fish in Brondong, East Java selected for their role in terms of general fish supply/food security, employment, and indication of prevalence of gillnet fisheries. The objective was to develop an up-to-date and detailed understanding of different types of losses affecting food security and stakeholders’ livelihoods.

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