Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

This member contributed to:

    • 1. Defining progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries

      ● What do you think are the 5 most relevant chapters, paragraphs, and/or topics of the SSF Guidelines for assessing progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries?

      Responsible governance of tenure (especially 5.3, 5.4) and sustainable resource management (5.13, 5.14, 5.15)

      Climate change (9.2)

      Information (11.1)

      Capacity Development (12.1,12.3)

      Implementation (13.2)

      ● Please describe why you believe these chapters, paragraphs, and/or topics are most relevant.

      Responsible governance of tenure and sustainable resource management: Secure and exclusive tenure rights, when paired with science-based limits and systems that hold stakeholders accountable are the backbone for sustainable fisheries management. These systems are most durable to meet local goals and needs when done through co-management schemes with fishery stakeholders.

      Climate change: Climate change poses a critical threat to small-scale fisheries and communities, which are likely to be disproportionately affected by climate change. States must act now to get fisheries management in place.

      Capacity Development: Participation in management systems of actors is critical to its successful uptake and implementation and should be done in mutually respectful ways that acknowledge the skills capacity of actors.

      Implementation: Resources are required to support and implement sustainable management and States should report the financial flows they are prioritizing to advance SSF.

      ● At what geographical scale should progress be measured (e.g. local, national)?

      Progress is likely to be best measured at the national or RFMO/regional body scale, however there should be an option for reporting at local and national scales. It will likely be most simple to input data on indicators in smaller units of scale.

      2. Meaningful and feasible indicators: How can we measure progress?

      ● Do you have suggestions for indicators that could be used to assess progress towards the priorities you identified under part 1? Please discuss whether you consider these indicators mandatory versus “nice to have.”

      ● If possible, please provide examples of where the indicators you suggest have been used successfully, including in data- and capacity-limited contexts.

      ● Please describe any monitoring and evaluation frameworks and data sources you are aware of that could be drawn on to measure these indicators.

      EDF has developed and uses a number of tools and resources to measure the impact of our work. These include:

      Responsible governance of tenure (especially 5.3, 5.4) - 1. Fisheries policy and governance analysis http://fisherysolutionscenter.edf.org/fisheries-toolkit/fisheries-polic…

      2. SEASALT Analysis http://fisherysolutionscenter.edf.org/fisheries-toolkit/seasalt

      Sustainable resource management (5.13, 5.14, 5.15) 1. Diagnostic Scorecard http://fisherysolutionscenter.edf.org/fisheries-toolkit/diagnostic-scor…

      2. Socioeconomic Outcomes Tool https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18305815?via%3Dihub

      Information (11.1) 1. Framework for Integrated Stock and Habitat Evaluation: http://fishe.edf.org

      Implementation (13.2) 1. Diagnostic Scorecard http://fisherysolutionscenter.edf.org/fisheries-toolkit/diagnostic-scorecard

      2. Socioeconomic Outcomes Tool https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18305815?via%3Dihub

      3. The Fishery Performance Indicators (https://www.fpilab.org) also provide a useful framework for monitoring

      4. Participatory monitoring: Key elements and experiences

      ● What do you think are key elements of successful participatory monitoring?

      ● Who should be the key actors involved in or responsible for the design and implementation of a monitoring system for the SSF Guidelines?

      For successful implementation of a monitoring system, there must be consultative processes, partnerships amongst different stakeholders (fishers, academics, NGOs, government/decision-makers), and clear roles, responsibilities, and protocols, including defining what are the standards and what is qualitative. Existing partnerships and initiatives could be leveraged to identify opportunities for successful monitoring and training necessary to do so. We can also leverage new and emerging technologies to standardize and streamline monitoring efforts.

      ● What are your experiences with participatory monitoring?

      EDF has worked with fishing communities in many countries to implement participatory monitoring and would be happy to further discuss these programs.