Abstract:

Small-scale fisheries employ more than 90 percent of the world’s capture fishers and provide the primary source of animal protein for 17 percent of the world’s population. Meanwhile, some 20 million people are directly engaged in aquaculture worldwide (FAO, 2020).1 This increases to up to 50 million if indirectly engaged people are also considered. FAO also estimates that about 62 percent of food fish will come from aquaculture by 2030. Despite their obvious importance as a source of food security, nutrition, and livelihoods, fisheries and aquaculture are consistently undervalued and overlooked in planning and development policies.