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YEMAYA NO.23: NOVEMBER 2006

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From the Editor

Inside Pages

Philippines............... 2Chile......................... 5Latin America........... 6France...........................9Film........................ 11Publications.................12

ICSF’S NEWSLETTER ON GENDER AND FISHERIESNO.23 NOVEMBER 2006

Dear Friends,

Greetings! This issue of Yemayabrings together articles from LatinAmerica, Asia and Europe.

We carry excerpts from an interestingstudy, Food Insecurity and GenderInequality in Property Rights:The Case of Market Access forPhilippine Seaweeds by HazelArandez-Tanchuling and MarinaDurano, reported in Lundayan ,a publication of the TambuyogDevelopment Centre. It carriesinformation from a case studyundertaken in Calatagan, a townlocated south of Metro Manila, wherethe Philippines government has beenactively promoting seaweedproduction in coastal communities.The study throws up some veryinteresting issues, such as competitionbetween seaweed farming and otheruses of coastal spaces, such as fishing,tourism and shrimp aquaculture.

Another important, if disturbing, trendthe study finds is that of men gainingproperty rights to what was earlier acommon resource, accessible toeveryone in the community—men andwomen. It is noted that: “The permitsystem imposed by the localgovernment unit was meant tomanage conflicts over the use ofcommon community resources.Instead, the unintended consequencewas to increase gender inequality inproperty rights.”

There is clearly much that can belearned from the experience ofseaweed farming and its managementin the Philippines—learning that needsto be applied in other contexts and

countries that are witnessing rapidexpansion of seaweed farming andother mariculture activities in thecoastal zone.

From Chile, Latin America, comes anarticle about the efforts of a group ofwomen to make visible, through themedium of theatre, the important roleof women fish baiters. “If men are togo to sea,” they point out, “thousandsof anonymous women must preparefor the fishing trip at home, putting thebaits on the hooks; a scene that isreplicated in other spheres of economicactivity, where, for men to work,women must take care of the domestictasks and childcare, work that is notrecognized by society”. Also relatingto Latin America is a detailed reportof the initiatives being taken by theLatin American Network of Womenworking in the fisheries sector(NETWIF), co-ordinated by theCentre for Marketing Information andAdvisory Services for FisheryProducts in Latin America and theCaribbean (INFOPESCA).

We also carry an interview with thePresident of the Local FisheriesCommittee of Lorient-Etel, France.It traces her journey as the wife of afisherman, unaware of the issues inthe sector, to the presidentship of thelocal committee, having to grapplewith all kinds of developments in thefisheries sector: the introductionof Total Allowable Catches (TACs),quotas, controls, high fuel costs, andso on.

And, finally, as this year comes to aclose, we send all of you season’sgreetings and best wishes for apeaceful and productive 2007.

YemayaYemayaISSN 0973-1156


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Asia/Philippines

“It’s the same”These excerpts are from a recent study “FoodInsecurity and Gender Inequality in PropertyRights: The Case of Market Access forPhilippine Seaweeds” by Hazel Arandez-Tanchuling and Marina Fe B. DuranoThe report was originally published inLundayan, Vol.13, No.1, 2006, published by theTambuyog Development Centre (http://www.tambuyog.org/news_detai ls .asp?news_id=390)

Fish is a Filipino’s primary source of animal protein,and the Philippines reports an annual per capitaconsumption of 36 kg. This paper seeks tounderstand the linkages between food security andtrade liberalization.

The 2003 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries ofthe Philippines’ National Statistics Office estimatesthe fisherfolk population at 1.8 mn, and fishingcommunities are found to be among the poorest inthe country. Since the 1990s, however, several fishingcommunities have shifted from subsistence fishingand fishing for local consumption towards seaweedproduction. This growing trend has beenencouraged by the aggressive promotion ofseaweed farming by the Philippines’ Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to exploitits export revenue potential. This trend is similar tothe shift from subsistence crops to cash crops inagriculture. In the fisheries sector, seaweeds areconsidered cash commodities.

The paper takes a deeper look at this productionshift, which forms part of the larger export-leddevelopment strategy of the Philippines. The firstsection introduces the seaweed industry in thePhilippines and shows how active the Philippinegovernment has been in promoting the shift frommunicipal fishing to seaweed production. The secondsection discusses poverty in fishing communities,which forces fishing households to explore theoptions offered by the government. The shifttowards seaweed production is part of thegovernment’s poverty alleviation programme andis consistent with export-oriented development.The third section, covering the Calatagan case

study, analyzes the impact of the shift from fishingto seaweed production and identifies somedilemmas. Trade liberalization, in combinationwith aggressive government promotion, is expectedto increase the incentives to shift away frommunicipal fishing. The lessons that can be drawnfrom the early stages of the shift in production canbe useful for future policymaking.

Some edited excerpts from the study follow:

Impact of the Introduction of Seaweed Farmingto Coastal Communities (The Calatagan CaseStudy)In this section, a case study of a shift from fishing toseaweed production is presented. Researchersvisited a town located south of Metro Manila, wherethe government has been actively promoting seaweedproduction in coastal communities. Small seaweedcultivators, local government officials, a trader andofficials of the local fisherfolk organization—theSamahan ng Maliliit ng Mangingisda ngCalatagan (SAMMACA or Organization of SmallFishers of Calatagan) were interviewed.

Common Resource Use ConflictsSince coastal areas are common resources,competition in usage arises periodically. Seaweedfarmers compete with fisherfolk, prawn hatcheries,and even shipping and boat transport companies foruse of the coastline. The management of theseconflicts becomes crucial not only for the success ofseaweed production as part of a growth strategybut also for other productive activities involving theuse of common resources in coastal areas. A rationalzoning system that allocates the use of commonresources becomes an important governancestrategy for the local government units (LGUs).

One of the first instances of conflict along the shorelineis between the seaweed producers and thefisherfolk. Fishers find it difficult to manoeuvre theirboats in the areas where there is a high concentrationof seaweed. This was a major problem faced by thefisherfolk in Barangay Uno during the boom inseaweed cultivation in the area. Seaweed rafts andother infrastructure block the passage from theshoreline to the sea. The use of nets is limitedbecause the fish habitats are inside the seaweed farmsand using nets will destroy the seaweeds. Repeatedwater thumping with the timbog, a fishing implement


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used to round up fish into the net, affects theseaweeds. Seaweed farms are safe places for fish,allowing stocks to regenerate. With seaweed farmingbecoming the priority, fishers have to waitfor the seaweed harvest season to catch fish, andthey thus become subject to the seasonal cycle ofseaweed farming. There have been instanceswhen irate fishers would set adrift seaweed rafts asa form of revenge against some seaweed farmers.Mang Junior of SAMMACA is urging the LGUto limit the space available for seaweed farmingso that fishers are not marginalized. Indeed,the low cost of the permit (PHP220 or US$4.4)for 20,000 sq m for seaweed farming is an indicatorthat the LGU does not want to regulate seaweedfarming in its area.

The growth of seaweeds is sensitive to water quality,and pollution is a specific problem in Calatagan.Periodically, the residues from a prawn hatchery inGulod have affected not only seaweed harvests butalso all marine life in the area. Recently, seaweedfarmers and fishers from Barangay Uno andBarangay Dos formed a coalition to raise theirconcerns to their LGUs about the pollution causedby the large prawn farms in their barangays.

Seaweed cultivators in Barangay Dos face evictionproblems with the Foreshore Lease Agreementsawarded by the LGU to tourist resorts. In addition,Barangay Dos is expanding the pier to accommodateroll-on, roll-off (RoRo) boats going to and from theisland of Mindoro. Once the port becomesoperational, seaweed cultivators in the area will haveto find alternative cultivation sites. The pollution fromincreased boat traffic will be harmful to seaweedgrowth. Oil slicks from ships passing the South ChinaSea, which faces Calatagan, have occasionallycaused problems in the seaweed farms.

Although, at this point, use-conflict of fisheries is stillmanageable, there is no guarantee that this willcontinue to be the case once seaweed areas increaseafter aggressive government promotion.

Production Shifts and Cultural RigiditiesPolicywise, there are no impediments towardswomen participating in seaweed cultivation. Userrights are given to both men and women as long asthey reside in Calatagan. Yet no woman has appliedfor a seaweed production permit. This is very

interesting in itself. Studies on the impact of tradeliberalization on women in agriculture indicate thatwomen are unable to benefit from shifts towardscash cropping because they do not have rights toown land, as in several African countries. This cannotbe the case for Calatagan. No prior privateownership by an individual of the coastal area,whether male or female, was established. With theimplementation of the permit system, which gave theholder private usufruct rights for designated coastalareas, it was the men who claimed the rights sincenone of the women applied for a permit. Thus, theresult is that women are not in a position to benefitfrom seaweed production, except through theirrelationships with their husbands who have theusufruct rights.

Women do not consider themselves engaged inproductive activities when undertaking tasksrequired of seaweed production. Rather, womenconsider their labour in the trade as extensions oftheir household work. They only providesupplemental labour. Since women’s work is seenas tied to household work, it is not surprising thatwomen have not applied for a seaweed productionpermit. These women think that permits forseaweed production are in a realm outside of theirsocially designated authority.

All the women interviewed in Barangay Dos do notsee seaweed cultivation as an added burden, althoughthey admit that seaweed cultivation takes time awayfrom household duties and child rearing. The women


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are involved in practically all areas of seaweedproduction, particularly when their farm is close tothe shore. They are involved in the preparation ofmaterials, planting, especially during low tide, andharvesting. In one day, they can prepare up to 25kg of seedlings for planting, which can fill up half araft. One respondent, Aling Tinding, said that sheusually sets aside all her Saturdays to attend to herseaweed farm, alongside her family.

The women do not see any difference in work hourswith the change from fishing to seaweed cultivation.They all said, “Pareho lang” (“It’s the same.”).Thus, in terms of work hours, the women do notsee any improvement. They were also involved inthe capture and marketing of the harvests. The sametasks remain today as the women continue to gatherseashells and other marine products along theshoreline for household consumption and sales.

All the women are grateful to the seaweed industry.They say that if not for the seaweeds, they wouldnot have been able to build concrete houses, sendtheir children to school and eat meat. The increasein their family income has provided more roomfor managing the household budget, but only duringthe harvest season.

The management of the household budget is,however, limited to those areas dealing withhousehold consumption. Decisions over seaweedproduction remain with the men. How much ofhousehold income is to be allocated for seaweedproduction is decided by the men. Mang Nilo, forinstance, secures an amount sufficient to buy gin,and leaves the rest of the earnings to his wife. Moreimportantly, he also decides how much moneyshould be set aside for the seaweed farm.

This division of labour indicates that women aretasked with socially reproductive activities, such asfood security for the household. Although incomesmay have risen, the rise is not sufficient to ease thewomen’s burden of providing for the family. Womenact as default providers of food when the lean seasonarrives. Although the well-being of the women hasimproved because of higher incomes, their workresponsibilities remain the same. Women continueto have to perform the roles expected of, andimposed on, them by society.

Concluding RemarksPerhaps the most important lesson from the casestudy is how the shift from fishing in a commonresource area, such as the coastal area, towardsseaweed farming allowed men to gain propertyrights, while the women did not. Before the shift,both shared the property rights of the common areaswith the rest of the community. The permit systemimposed by the local government unit was meant tomanage conflicts over the use of common communityresources. Instead, the unintended consequence wasto increase gender inequality in property rights.

The shift towards seaweed farming has not beencomplete in the coastal communities in Calatagan.The main barrier to entry is the size of capital neededto start the business. In order to pursue this activity,many seaweed producing households enter intosharecropping or contract-growing arrangements thatleave them tied to their financiers in a cycle of debt.Seaweed cultivation is also very labour-intensivebecause the seaweed is sensitive to its environment,whether it is pollution from competing activities, anincrease in seawater temperature during summermonths, or the monsoon season. It is probably moretime-intensive than fishing, requiring the constructionof temporary shelters over the farm areas in orderto undertake 24-hour surveillance, especially whenthere are weather changes.

Although the rise in incomes has been recognizedby seaweed farming households, its variability needsto be highlighted. The seasonality in income forcesthese households to borrow money during leanmonths. The quality of food also follows thisseasonality, with fresh meat and luxury food itemsavailable just after the harvest, while processed andcanned foods become the main food source duringthe latter part of the gestation period as well as themonsoon season. As those responsible for foodsecurity, women ensure that food is available throughcareful budgeting, gathering of marine products fromthe shore, and cultivation of fruits and vegetables intheir backyards. Occasionally, the men will catchfish from the seaweed farm. Overall, food securityis not consistently assured, despite the higherincomes; at the same time, the work burden ofwomen has not been relieved.

Increased market access for seaweed productsraises the incentives for export producers to urge


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Latin America/Chile

Sea Martyrs of San AntonioOut-of-work women encarnadoras (hookbaiters) in Chile take up acting and win wideacclaimThis article has been compiled by BrianO’Riordan from various sources, including theConapach website (http://www.conapach.cl/)

A play written and performed by 11 artisanalfisherwomen from San Antonio and Valparaiso, firststaged in 2004, has recently made a comeback inChile’s Vth Region, thanks to the support from theRegional Government of Valparaiso.

The play, Women, the Embodiment of Abundance,depicts the story of San Antonio over the last 40years, from times of abundance to the current harshrealities faced by the artisanal fishing sector. Thewomen have gathered together anecdotes, legends,and life experiences, and show how the catch quotasnow set under the fisheries law have deprived womenof their work.

According to Maria Teresa Olivera, the play’s director,“We want to tell people about the work that we used

to do, to make women’s work in the sector —notpreviously known in this country—visible. The playis based on real-life stories taken from the bookWomen in Artisanal Fisheries by Michele Alarcón.It looks at the process of artisanal fishing from awoman’s perspective: male work has always beenrecognized, but the thankless women’s tasks of baitingthe hooks, essential for catching the sea’s bounty, havebeen ignored.”

The play is currently (October/November 2006)touring theatres in Chile’s Vth Region, but itsproducers have put forward a much more ambitiousproposal: to develop a nationwide tour. They haveapplied for support from the National Culture and ArtsCouncil, the Fisheries Subsecretariat, and variousfishermen’s organizations countrywide, in order torealize their project ‘Women forging networks…fromSan Antonio throughout Chile’. They hope to initiatethis before the year-end and to continue through thewhole of 2007. Maria Teresa Olivera asserts: “Theproject has been successful in demonstrating theimportant cultural rescue work that is being done toget such unique and unknown practices as hook-baiting recognized”.

It was in 2004 that 11 women from the EncarnadorasUnion Mártires del Mar de San Antonio (Sea Martyrsof San Antonio), with no previous acting experience,won a National Culture and Arts Council (Fondart)award. This enabled them to participate in the“Theatre of the Sea and Fishing Theatre Workshopswith Artisanal Fisherwomen”. It involved five months

BFAR and the LGU partners to support the increasein supply of seaweeds. It can be expected thatexport promotion programmes will coincide withincreased seaweed seedling distribution andseaweed production technical assistance, andsupport to convince fishing households andcommunities to change their production activities.The distribution of gains is disproportionate, as theexperience of Calatagan shows. The production shiftdoes not guarantee food security and has increasedgender inequality in property rights.

[This project was jointly implemented by theInternational Gender and Trade Network-Asia, andTambuyog, a non-governmental organization in thePhilippines doing community-based coastal resourcemanagement, research and advocacy of coastal/fishery issues and community property rights.]

For further information contact:[email protected]


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Latin America

Networking to supportThis is a report of the Latin American Networkof Women working in the fisheries sector(NETWIF), which has been active for five yearsThis article by Helga Josupeit, Fishery IndustryOfficer, Fish Utilization and Marketing ServiceFAO, is based on various reports of NETWIF(http://mujeres.infopesca.org/)

For the last five years, the Centre for MarketingInformation and Advisory Services for FisheryProducts in Latin America and the Caribbean(INFOPESCA) has been co-ordinating the LatinAmerican Network of Women working in thefisheries sector (NETWIF).

The network now has some 400 members from allthe countries of the region. It is open to all womenworking in the fisheries sector—from those inproduction, processing and marketing, to those inthe university or government.

Two meetings of the Focal Points of NETWIF havebeen held, in October 2000 and March 2002. Inthe first meeting held during 5-6 October 2000 inMontevideo, Uruguay, 28 persons from 10 countriesof the region—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic,Uruguay and Venezuela—participated. Thedelegates presented studies on various topics relatedto women in fisheries and aquaculture.

The meeting observed that women in fisheries weremainly working in the following areas:

Fish factory workers: Main activities of womenworking in fish factories are: filleting, selection of rawmaterial, classification of species, gutting, heading,labelling, packing and cleaning in general. These areall activities that require meticulous work. In somecases, companies that do not work the year round,maintain the most efficient women in the tasks ofcleaning and maintenance. When the season restarts,these women are tasked with supervision and trainingof new workers.

Self-employed workers: Self-employed workersinclude wives/ daughters/sisters of fishermenengaged in preparing and selling preserves, fish paste

of hard work, including acting and theory classes,which inspired them to create the play.

When people talk about artisanal fishing, they onlytend to think about the fishermen who put out tosea every day, risking their lives in order to feedtheir families. However, if men are to go to sea,thousands of anonymous women must preparethe fishing trip at home, putting the bait on thehooks; a scene that is replicated in other spheresof economic activity: for men to work, womenmust take care of the domestic tasks and childcare,work that is not recognized by society.

“To begin with, we were very scared of failing, but,with hard work, we achieved our objectives of makingthe situation of women in artisanal fishing known,which had been invisible for so long,” recalls VivianaCornejo, one of the actresses in the play, arepresentative of the Sea Martyrs EncarnadorasUnion of San Antonio, and a member of Conapach’sWomen’s Union Committee.

Another of the actresses and former encarnadorais Miriam Almonacid. Several years ago, when theresources depleted, she had to leave her work ofbaiting hooks. Since then, she has been working inthe Valparaiso municipal programme foremployment generation. Miriam says that acting inthe play “is like stepping back in time, reminding meof when I learned hook-baiting, and how difficult itwas at first. I did not like it because it pricked myfingers and everything stank, but, over time, I realizedthat this work allowed me to meet people and to earngood money. As far as supporting the struggles ofthe sector is concerned, this play provides someuseful ammunition that allows us to say things thatwe could not otherwise say, that is, that artisanalfishermen’s continued existence depends entirely onhook-baiters continuing their work of preparing thetrip so that the men can continue putting out to sea.”

In San Antonio alone there are at least 800encarnadoras, and it is estimated that in Chile around10,000 women live, or rather used to live, from thiswork; all belong to the informal sector, so they do noteven have the basic rights historically gained bywomen, like maternity leave, social security,healthcare, etc.

Brian O’Riordan can be contacted at:[email protected]


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and cakes, dried, salted and smoked fish, etc. Thissector is growing due to the high unemployment inmany countries.

Artisanal fisherwomen: These are usually the wivesof small-scale fishermen, engaged in skilled and time-consuming jobs onshore, such as net-making andmending, and processing and marketing of catch.Frequently, women and children wade and collectbivalves and seaweed. In general, levels of educationand income tend to be low.

Aquaculture: Women in small-scale aquaculturetend to work in feeding and harvesting fish, as wellas in processing and selling fish and fish products.

Fishing: It is rare for women to go fishing at sea. Itis, however, common to see them engaged in inlandfishing in lagoons and rivers, where they use smallboats and canoes.

Marketing of fish and fishery products: Womenselling their husband’s catches is a common sight atlanding sites. It is also common to see women sellingfish in markets and supermarkets.

Quality assurance and fish and fishery productsinspection: Approximately 75 per cent of theprofessionals carrying out this activity in LatinAmerica are women. Professionally, they areveterinarians, biologists, chemists and foodengineers. Moreover, 20 per cent of fish inspectorsare women, in general, veterinarians.

Research and development of new products:Women constitute 55 per cent of researchers working

on fisheries in universities. They are generallybiologists, veterinarians, chemists, engineers andeconomists.

Management and administrative activities: Thereare many women who work as managers, executives,and directors in fishing and fish-processingcompanies, often in family-owned companies.Women are also found in public administration,working as professionals and secretaries. In someLatin American countries, maybe due to the lowsalaries, the public fisheries administration is in thehands of women, up to the highest levels. Only theposts of directors are in the hands of men.

The meeting recognized women’s important roles inthe fishery, as well as the skills they possessed.It also recognized, however, the following problems:

• discrimination in some Latin American countriesagainst indigenous and Afro-American women,particularly in the context of the patriarchalstructures in such communities;

• poor diffusion of the laws that have beenpromulgated in favour of women;

• low self-esteem, and weak and unstableunionization of women workers, as well aslittle information about family planning;

• occupational health problems faced by womenworkers in fish plants, linked to high levelsof humidity, low temperatures, repetitivemovements over a long period of time, andstanding for long periods; and

• lack of remuneration of women’s work in theartisanal sector, lack of social securitycoverage, etc.

The meeting stressed the importance of training forLatin American women in fisheries, including ontechnical topics (technology, handling, preservation,quality control and marketing), social topics(legislation, family planning), and on micro-enterprisedevelopment (creation and management of smallcompanies and co-operatives). It was noted thatwomen workers also need childcare support whenthey are away at work.

The meeting concluded that Latin Americangovernments are not sufficiently aware of theproblems of women in fisheries and aquaculture, and


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that, as a consequence, they have not invested enoughhuman or financial resources to assist them. Evenwhere investments have been made, they areinsufficient. The meeting also noted that, with fewexceptions, most Latin American countries do nothave statistics or information about the situation ofthe women in fisheries and aquaculture. Informationis particularly lacking on women’s participation,needs and expectations. In most countries,moreover, there are few women’s organizations, andfishery and aquaculture communities lack goodaccess to credit and co-financing.

Some of the recommendations from the meeting:

• Prepare a study on technical, socioeconomicand micro-enterprise-related aspects of women’sneeds in fisheries and aquaculture. This studyshould include qualitative and quantitativeinformation, with the purpose of defining thepriorities for action in the countries.

• Formulate an action plan for the medium term,directed towards improving the workingconditions, diversification possibilities and theconditions of women in the fishery andaquaculture sector.

• Undertake training activities on specific topicstowards capacity building of small-scale‘fisherwomen’, aquaculturists, plant workers andwives of fishermen.

• Identify and promote credit lines and other loansystems accessible to women.

The participants committed to:

• consolidate local networks co-ordinated by thefocal point of reference in each country;

• disseminate the activities and work alreadyprepared for this First Latin AmericanMeetingof Focal Points, as well as others, usefulfor the network;

• establish a permanent communication systemamong the members of the network throughe-mail, and to encourage the active participationof all members;

• promote the interest and commitment of thenational governments of the region to provide

active support to women in the fishery andaquaculture sector; and

• collect publications, existing legislation, photosand any other document regarding LatinAmerican women, in general, and women of thefishery and aquaculture sector, in particular, inorder to build an information centre for thenetwork.

NETWIF’s second meeting was organized byINFOPESCA from 18-20 March 2002. It wasattended by 41 participants from 13 countries ofthe region. In addition to the country’s focalpoints, workers from the artisanal sector alsoparticipated, voicing their specific needs andconcerns. Since the first meeting in 2000, severalactivities had been initiated, especially in thefield of data collection. Participants fromArgentina and Uruguay presented studies on the roleof women in their fisheries, showing the hugeparticipation of women in the fish-processing industryin both countries.

The second meeting recommended, among otherthings, surveys to complete the analysis of thesituation with regard to women working in fisheriesand aquaculture. It also recommended that trainingactivities be undertaken. A holistic approach totraining was proposed, to include training aimed atimproving fishing methods, processing, marketing,bookkeeping, and credit management.

Some of the following activities that have since beencarried out by NETWIF include:

Surveys: The Directorate of Fisheries in Cuba (focalpoint of NETWIF) carried out a survey on the roleof women in fisheries and aquaculture during 2003.The Directorate of Fisheries of Nicaragua (focal pointof NETWIF), assisted by INFOPESCA and theFood and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO) Netherlands PartnershipProgramme, carried out an analysis of the role ofwomen in fisheries and recommended specifictraining needs.

Training: The ‘Livelihood Diversification andEnterprise Development project” of FAO (LDED)carried out three training activities in Colombia(2004-2006), Honduras (2005) and Mexico (2005)


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Europe/France

Wedded to the seaThis is an interview with Lilianne Carriou,President of the Local Fisheries Committee ofLorient-Etel, FranceThis interview by Fanny Brun of Pêche etDéveloppement has been translated by BrianO’Riordan of ICSF’s Brussels office

“I don’t originally come from a fishing community”,says Lilianne. “I married a fisherman, and, in so doing,I became wedded to the sea. Getting used to the worldof sailors has been far from easy, filled as it is withsuch uncertainty. To start with, as I worked outsidethe sector, it seemed quite archaic to me. I did notunderstand much about it, and it was difficult to adaptto it. But there was no alternative: either I had toadapt or spend every day in tears. So, I adapted.

My husband started out as a small-scale fisher with asmall boat of 10 m. After some years, he acquired a16-m boat, then a 17.5-m one. Today, he operates a20.6-m vessel. But he has never changed from beinga net fisherman. He has remained true to hisconvictions, and never changed his profession.

The great crisis in the 1990sIt was thanks to the great fishing crisis of the 1990sthat I really discovered my husband’s profession. Thatway of life, along with the whole sector, was injeopardy. It was then that I became painfully aware

for fisherfolk (mainly women) communities. Trainingfocused on fish processing, distribution, qualityproblems, marketing, bookkeeping, and smallenterprise organization. The focal points of NETWIFin Colombia, Honduras and Mexico wereinstrumental in organizing and lecturing during thetraining events, while INFOPESCA and FAO wereinvolved in the preparation of training material andcarrying out the courses. These activities resulted inthe creation of new enterprises (in Colombia andHonduras) or in the strengthening of already existingassociations.

Studies: NETWIF carried out studies on womenworking in the fisheries industry in the Patagonianregion of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.The studies were carried out in early 2002. Thefinancing of the studies came from small grants ofFAO. In 2004, the FAO Fisheries Circular No.992summarized the main findings of the three studies inEnglish, to more widely disseminate the outcomesof the studies. It was found that in the processingindustry, women outnumber men. It was also foundthat the number of women increased in proportionto the degree of complexity of the processingfunction. The plant owners consider women as bettercapable of carrying out more precise tasks. It wasgenerally noted in the studies that a high share ofwomen’s salaries is used for the purchase of foodfor the family and for higher education of the children.Therefore, the creation of jobs in the fish-processingindustry could improve food security.

Enterprise development: A women’s co-operativein Betume (Brazil) was equipped and trained underthe project, “Development of Processing andMarketing of Tilapia Produced in Big LatinAmerican River Basins”. One ice machine wasinstalled, the filleting plant was refurbished and themembers of the women’s co-operative were put intocontact with potential buyers in the area. The projectresulted in higher incomes for the members of theco-operative, and better infrastructure for the village.

More information on NETWIF can be obtained bycontacting: [email protected]

Helga Josupeit can be contacted at:[email protected]


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that the profession was in the process of disappearing.It was really a major concern. I learned that thefamilies from the port of Lorient, whether in smallboats or others, were facing great difficulties. Noneof us saw the crisis coming; all of us were caught bysurprise. I took part in agitations with men and womenfrom the Lorient district, and later in neighbouringareas, as the movement snowballed. There was quitean outburst.

I have always been a social activistWhen your children are young, you get involved as aparent in school and sporting associations. So myinvolvement with organizations goes back a long way.To start with, I did not get involved with the fisheriessector because I did not understand it.

Later, quite rightly, I wanted to learn about it. Myhusband had explained to me at great length aboutfisheries issues, and I wanted to deepen my discussionswith him. And it’s a fact that, as a couple, it was avery difficult discussion, because we were not at allon the same wavelength. But it helped us to growand to develop together. We have both alwaysrespected our commitments to each other as well asour differences, and that helped us to be open abouta dialogue. When the fishery crisis hit, I decided tojoin up with the women, and joined a course on howto manage a fishing enterprises.

I continued with this struggle because I was convincedthat women had a role to play in the fisheries sector.It was really far too much of a man’s world.So I joined the regional women’s association, whereI was the President for a number of years. Thanks tothat women’s association, we were able to develop,gain official recognition for our status, addressissues of safety and psychological counselling, andother matters that men had never really given muchthought to.

I feel that a major change has come about in recentyears. While it’s true that the fisheries sector hasalways presented difficulties, I feel that we haveprogressed well. And I think it must be said that thisis thanks to women. Today, amongst the newgeneration, shipowners and crew are well aware thatwomen contribute significantly to the business.

President of the Local Fisheries CommitteeEven today, I sometimes ask myself how I came to

be in the Local Fisheries Committee. One of thedemands made by the women was the right to joinprofessional organizations. We had demanded to beeligible as collaborating spouses for membership, andto hold office in professional organizations for the2002 elections. That was not an easy process, anddoors were shut in our faces all along the way. Finally,there was a glimmer of hope, as a small openingappeared for collaborating spouses and even, at last,for other women too. But then, again, why not? Onemust act quickly, as events take place. Not manywomen ultimately made it to the organizations, butthe way was open to us. That was something reallyimportant.

Nevertheless, we had to ask our husbands aboutstanding in for them. Personally, that made me veryembarrassed. Undoubtedly, my husband was theprofessional. But I would have preferred us to bereferred to as “Mr and Mrs”, rather than me as awife standing in for a certain mister, because he wasnot there. In the end, that was not possible; it had tobe either, or. So I asked my husband whether hewanted to hold office in the organization. He said itwas not possible for him; that he could not doeverything, and be everywhere. There was the boatand the business to look after, they had to function.So I asked him if I could take his place. He said thatI should do as I please.

This was how I gained entry, and was able to vote.In the end, it must be admitted that the men did openthe doors for me. I was not there by chance. Whenthey proposed various posts to me, I took all of themup. Following the recent retirement of the Presidentof the Local Committee, I was elected President. Iwas very surprised indeed. I felt that a properfisherman would make a better representative. Butthey all said they were struggling to manage theiraffairs and that they needed to be represented in thissector, so they elected me.

I am living through a great adventure. Like in apregnancy, I have been in this job for nine monthsnow… I could not have imagined what was going tohappen. I have been caught with my back to the wall,because no sooner had I arrived, everything startedto happen, what with Total Allowable Catches(TACs), quotas, controls, fuel costs…It’s not possiblethat more things could have happened to us at thesame time, it’s a very difficult year.


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All of us are in the same mess, whether as fishermen,fish merchants, fishmongers, processors, we are alllinks in the same chain today, and I believe that wemust really stick together, if we are to progress in thissector. There is no other way—if a link in the chainbreaks, we will all be set adrift.

I am here because I have faith. I want to believe thatthis sector is going to pull through. That will not bewithout pain, but there is every chance of succeedingif we keep united. I have been astounded to see howwell the professionals have responded. I think thatthey have adapted to the changing situation, with eachpassing day. I have rarely witnessed a situation wherepeople have adapted so quickly to what is happening.In today’s fishery, there are more constraints thanopportunities, but I am very impressed with theirbehaviour. What’s more, in Lorient, many youngpeople still want to invest despite the worryingsituation. As for us, we must back them up; it’s ourduty.

Fanny Brun can be contacted at:[email protected]

Film

A Fish StoryThis is a press release about a film on twowomen activists from fishing communities inMassachusetts, US (http://www.itvs.org/pressroom/pressRelease.htm?pressId=341)

A Fish Story is the tale of two women who lead theircommunities in a battle for control of the ocean.Angela Sanfilippo of Gloucester, Massachusetts, andShareen Davis of Chatham, Massachusetts were borninto fishing families and married men who continueto make a living from the sea. Fishing defines whothey are and has sustained their communities forgenerations. But their way of life is threatened whena powerful coalition of national environmental groupsfile a lawsuit that could put hundreds of fishermenout of business. Three hundred years of fishingtradition and the health of the ocean hangs in thebalance. A Fish Story will have its television premiereon the Emmy Award-winning PBS series

Independent Lens, hosted by Terrence Howard, onTuesday, January 2, 2007 at 10PM.

In the 1970s, enormous international fishing fleetsdecimated the waters off New England leaving localfishermen struggling to survive in the wake of thisenvironmental disaster. Decades later, New Englandfishermen and environmentalist remain locked in anintense battle over the current health and futuremanagement of the ocean. And with the success ofa broad sweeping lawsuit filed in 2000,environmentalists are demanding radical newconservation measures that could spell disaster forNew England fishermen and their communities.Angela and Shareen find themselves at the center ofthis political storm as they struggle to save both fishand fishermen. Delving into the behind-the-scenesworld of politicians, environmentalists, journalists, andfishermen, A Fish Story confronts the hard choiceswe face when human needs and those of theenvironment collide.

The interactive companion website for A Fish Story(www.pbs.org/independentlens/ fishstory) featuresdetailed information on the film, including an interviewwith the filmmakers and links and resources pertainingto the film’s subject matter. The site also features aTalkback section for viewers to share their ideas andopinions, preview clips of the film and more.

For further information contact:Mary Lugo: [email protected]; Cara White:[email protected]


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YEMAYAICSF’s Newsletter on Genderand Fisheries

Published byInternational Collective inSupport of Fishworkers27 College Road, Chennai 600 006IndiaTel: (91) 44 2827 5303Fax: (91) 44 2825 4457Email: [email protected] site: http://www.icsf.net

Edited byChandrika Sharma

Printed atNagaraj & Company Pvt. Ltd., Chennai

Please do send us comments andsuggestions to make the newsletter morerelevant. We would also like names of otherpeople who could be interested in being partof this initiative. We look forward to hearingfrom you and to receiving regular write-upsfor the newsletter.

Writers and potential contributors to YEMAYA,please note that write-ups should be brief,about 500 words. They could deal withissues that are of direct relevance to womenand men of fishing communities. They couldalso focus on recent research or on meetingsand workshops that have raised genderissues in fisheries. Also welcome are lifestories of women and men of fishingcommunities working towards a sustainablefishery or for a recognition of their work withinthe fishery. Please also include a one-linebiographical note on the writer.

Publications

Bottom-up, GlobalEstimates ofSmall-scale MarineFisheries Catches,by RatanaChuenpagdee, LisaLiguori, Maria L.D.P a l o m a r e sand Daniel Pauly .Fisheries CentreResearch Reports

14(8). The Fisheries Centre, University ofBritish Columbia, 2006.(http://www.fisheries.ubc.ca/publications/reports/fcrr.php)

This recently released report attempts toestimate, for the first time, the catches andrelated contribution of small-scale fisheries(SSF). It recognizes that the “social, cultural,economic and livelihood importance of SSF tothe majority of fishers are rarely reflected innational fisheries development policies, whichtend to emphasize large-scale, industrialfisheries”. The report “aims to provide bottom-up (national) estimates of SSF catches andrelated statistics for each maritime country, andthen aggregate them at the global level”. Itprovides, besides catch data, national definitionof small-scale fisheries (SSF), gears used, catchcomposition, number of fishers, number of boatsand involvement of women and children, drawingon various sources of data and information.Significantly, in recognition of the important rolesthat women and children play in SSF, the reportincludes a discussion about gender issues. Theeffort, according to the authors, is to put “SSF atthe center stage of fisheries research”. The datain the report is to be made online from January2007 through the website of the Sea Around UsProject (www.seaaroundus.org). The databasecontains information about SSF in 140 coastalcountries. The authors estimate that in 2000,nearly 12 million small-scale fishers caught 21million tonnes per year. Pointing to the importantcontribution of SSF to total marine catches, theyrecommend adoption of policies directed atsustaining SSF.

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