November 2013

This November the Fishing & Living team has poured immense efforts into the formation of fisher associations, specifically in our data collection sites in the Moluccas. The small scale tuna fishermen are such an important stakeholder of the fishery on a local and regional scale but very often they do not get the opportunity to become involved in decisions made on the management of the resource. Fishing & Living is encouraging the fishermen to form fisher associations which help the fishers to create a voice with which they can approach the government.

A meeting was held and facilitated by F&L staff in west Ambon, attended by 50 fishermen, all of whom committed their willingness to participate in fisher associations, one association per village of origin. These fisher associations will also lay the basis for implementation of the first pilot program of the Fairtrade USA Capture Fisheries standard.  This pilot project is an important step in the ongoing development of the FT USA capture fisheries standard.