Women are working to transform fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. International Women’s Day 2023 is an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of women to the sector, while recognizing that more still needs to be done to acknowledge and advance their key role in the value chain.

FAO has been leading efforts to enhance the role of women in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea through the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

The GFCM recognizes the longstanding role women have played in the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors – from capture fisheries, to fish farming, scientific research and decision-making – and is taking strategic action to shed light on the role of women in the sector. In particular, the GFCM d is committed to improving education and awareness to advance their contribution to the sector.

"Women play an essential, albeit often times unrecognized, role in the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sector," said Anna Carlson, FAO fishery officer for socioeconomic issues at the GFCM.

"The GFCM 2030 Strategy for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and the Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOASSF) seek to ensure that the sector is fair and inclusive by supporting equal opportunities for women and promoting youth development."

Among the GFCM’s recent initiatives is a training held last year for young women from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region on sustainable aquaculture practices, in collaboration with Tunisia’s Ministry of Agriculture, local communities and farmers.

Twenty-one participants from 16 different countries visited Tunisia to see some of the country’s most successful and innovative aquaculture farms. Activities included expert presentations, hands-on feeding and harvesting of fish, washing and repairing of nets and snorkeling to observe and identify aquatic species.

Organized within the framework of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), the training sought to better equip young women with the knowledge and skills needed to support their full and effective participation as leaders at all levels of decision-making in the aquaculture sector