In this interview, Zoila Bustamante Cardenas, a fisherwoman from Chile, explains the fundamental role associations, organisations and fisherfolk groups have to increase the resilience of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture.

The IYAFA 2022 Global Action Plan has Resilience as one of its 7 pillars. In your opinion, how can this year raise awareness of the risks small farmers face from climate change and disasters every day?

In this important year for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, the first thing I want to point out is that the State become aware of and reflect on the value of small-scale fishing and fishing areas, because it is the State that regulates our activity and invests resources both in our fishing areas – ‘caletas’ in Chile - and in our fishing community. The authorities together with their collaborators must listen to fisherwomen and fishermen about what is important for the development of the activity and what actions or decisions put the preservation of our culture and identity at risk. That is why it is necessary to go to those ‘caletas’ because they are all different. I believe that in this way the resilience of our communities can be strengthened, with local public policies, with decisions based on knowledge and not on biased judgments that end up affecting and putting at risk the future of our communities that are dedicated to small-scale fisheries and aquaculture.

Those of us who represent fisherwomen and fishermen both at the international, national, regional and local levels also have the responsibility to generate awareness, first in our fishing areas, but also with other actors who carry out activities in the different spaces where our activity is carried out, especially in those that are industrial, and alert when alterations occur due to the effect of climate change, pollution and missing respect of the environment, because the damage is irreparable and often cannot be reversed.

In recent decades, natural and human-induced disasters have become more frequent and increasingly destructive, and since the start of the Covid19 pandemic, the discourse on resilience has taken on an increasingly important role in sustainable food systems. In your opinion, what is the best way to increase resilience, including through adaptation to climate change, improving safety at sea, etc. for artisanal fishermen, fish farmers and fish workers?

In my opinion, the fishing areas should be strengthened in a comprehensive and sustained manner, identifying the points that allow us to develop our activity and that guarantee us permanence and development over time. We have a ‘Caleta’ Law that must be strengthened, by injecting resources, spreading it, since it is one of the few laws that protects us and can be very positive if we want to increase resilience. It is not possible that, due to the accelerated development of cities and new technologies, our communities do not have the opportunity for a generational change or decent work to live with the comforts and privileges enjoyed by those who live in cities. Progress cannot be for a few and it cannot be at the expense of the fishing villages either, we know that the industry in our country generates environmental damage that has been disastrous for the culture and identity of small-scale fishing, therefore, it is necessary to incorporate fishermen and fisherwomen in the public policies promoted by the State on the comprehensive management of food systems and rural territories, because small-scale fishers are the ones who have developed the activity in a sustainable way, we have been resilient to crises, to regulations, to natural disasters, we have risen again and again in the face of adversity and the sea has been our livelihood and that is why we respect it, because it is our source of life and work.

Artisanal fishermen, fish farmers and small-scale fish workers are among the most vulnerable in the world in the face of environmental degradation, crises, natural disasters? and climate change. How can governments act to mitigate their losses and risks? What recommendations would you give to policymakers?

The government must always act and know what the conditions of our fishing areas are when a crisis or a natural disaster occurs, it cannot ignore this. We know that things do not happen overnight, we also know that things do not happen by themselves, that is why it is important that the government and decision makers are clear about our activities, and act to meet the needs of the first order and then follow-up as needed. The government must act, seeing the realities and the consequences that they entail, for example: regionalization, the mobility of fishers, the zones that are of common access, contiguous areas, issues that have to be seen, for example, not from property but from the common good, from well-being because behind each fisherman or fisherwoman there is a family to feed. Therefore those responsible for creating public policies should be aware of the issues that affect us, there are public services that decide or take decisions regarding issues that affect us, but they do not know our activity, they do not know of our existence or of the regulations that affect fisheries and aquaculture, and everyone who operates in the sector. Therefore they should at least consult the public services that have our statistics, that invest in our areas, so as not to harm us. Sometimes in the areas we find out about a change when it is already is happening and that cannot be.

How can associations play a role in increasing the resilience of small producers? Can you share concrete examples at national and regional level?

Associations, confederations, federations etc. will continue to play a fundamental role in the resilience of our sector, we are the voice of our partners before the central authorities, before the parliament and the State in general. To increase resilience, we need the State not to leave us out, as happened to us with the National Institute for the Sustainable Development of Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (INDESPA - in Spanish), which cannot receive resources to develop representative actions or projects that promote the pillars of IYAFA 2022 for example. In the face of environmental or natural crises or disasters, we are the first to arrive to help our colleagues and their families, artisanal fishing is food in the face of crises, that is why it is important that we be recognized and promote and support our activity. There are fishing areas that have increased their resilience after natural disasters such as earthquakes, such as the areas in the Bio Bio and Iquique regions, they have risen again and have generated awareness in their communities about the use of the coastline, we also have areas that work in repopulation and small-scale aquaculture and many of these concessions are operated by women and their products are distributed in public schools in the context of healthy food policy, the unions of fishermen and fisherwomen are right holders of Areas of Management and Exploitation of Benthic Resources and which are used according to a sustainable resource management plan, we have women in the south of Chile who work and grow algae and whose activity is the sustenance for their families.

In relation to gender, we are working with the national trade association of artisan fishing women of Chile “A.G. mujeres tejiendo redes” to strengthen the activity of small-scale fishing in all categories of the small-scale fisheries registry. We have women who have gained space in fishing, diving, seaweed and shellfish harvesting, small-scale aquaculture, as crew members and assistant shellfish divers and who require opportunities, training and resources to have their boats and carry out the work with dignity. Others have diversified in adding value to the resources that the sea gives us and require constant support to generate marketing networks and the new products, and in this the associations are essential to mobilize resources and the support to continue growing.

At the international level, with the Latin American Union of Artisanal Fisheries, (ULAPA - in Spanish), the work we have done has been essential to make visible and help all small-scale fishing communities of Latin America and the Caribbean, at a time when we are being directly and deeply hit by the effects of climate change, illegal fishing and the subsidies that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is granting to the large fishing transnationals. The idea is to make a common force to deal with all those factors that today are threatening us as a sector and that aim to make us disappear.

We also participate in the Ibero-American Small-Scale Fishing Network to strengthen alliances that allow small-scale fisher organizations to have a stronger voice before international organizations.

We must convey that the problems can be addressed and worked on jointly and that in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture we are all very similar, both on this side of the Pacific and in the Atlantic Ocean, for this reason, we are working on together so that the International Year of Fisheries and Aquaculture does not go unnoticed, since we must not forget that the world's small-scale fisheries are a food power and finally add that our sector will support and promote the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries to achieve the sustainability of small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication.

To learn more about climate change adaptation in the artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in Chile, access:

FAO, Ministry of the Environment, Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture. 2021. Lessons learned and public policy recommendations on adaptation to climate change in artisanal fisheries and small-scale aquaculture in Chile. Policy brief. Santiago, FAO.