In pursuit of securing the rights of fishing communities
17 October 2013, Rome – After over 30 years of service, FAO Senior Fishery Planning Officer, Rolf Willmann will leave FAO. But not without leaving a legacy behind him. Willmann has dedicated his career to championing the interests of small-scale fishers and fish workers who are often marginalized men, women and children. They are the producers, processors and marketers of most of the food fish from our oceans and inland waters and key suppliers of highly nutritious food to rural and urban consumers, many of whom are equally poor and marginalized. Through the course of his career Willmann witnessed an evolution in the challenges and solutions encountered by those working in this field. For his contribution to this work, the Centre for Maritime Research (MARE) honored him with the first-ever Oeuvre Award for his excellent lifelong commitment to the cause of small-scale fishworkers.