The objectives of this Technical Paper are to highlight the contribution that inland and coastal small-scale fisheries can make to poverty alleviation and food security and to make practical suggestions on ways that this contribution can be maximized. This paper is organized into three main sections. The first section discusses the concepts of poverty, vulnerability and food security, and briefly outlines how these concepts have evolved in recent years within the field of fisheries (in line with the rest of the development literature). The second section reviews the actual and potential contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. It illustrates, through use of examples, the role that small-scale fisheries can play in economic growth at the national level and poverty alleviation and rural development at the local level.The third and main section of the document discusses ways of increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security.

Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security

Neotropical freshwater fishes are the most diverse on the planet (>5,500 species), although nations in Latin America have been negligent regarding their conservation National policies have historically encouraged unsustainable practices, and recent decades have witnessed a sharp increase in harmful activities Our aim with this review was to expose this situation and illustrate how national policies constitute the main threat to freshwater fish biodiversity We explain that the most devastating, pervasive and systemic threats are rooted in official policies, particularly unsustainable activities (eg hydropower, water diversion, mining, aquaculture, agriculture and fishing), poor management/conservation (eg fish stocking and passages) and harmful legislation (eg poor licensing, non-native species) We provide a broad portrait of the Neotropical scenario, where unsustainable policies have caused considerable damage to freshwater ecosystems, and focus on major examples from Brazil, where development projects have caused large-scale losses to fish biodiversity Such modus operandi of human development is incompatible with the persistence of biodiversity, and no simple solution is available to correct or minimize its effects The current situation demands a profound behavioural shift towards better practices and policies, or these multiple high-impact activities will continue eroding freshwater fish biodiversity and impairing essential ecosystem services

Neotropical freshwater fishes imperilled by unsustainable policies

Stretching more than seven million square kilometers, the Amazon River basin is the largest river basin in the world and discharges about one-sixth of all freshwater from the continents to the oceans of the world. The age of this ecosystem, its position near the equator and the enormous diversity of its aquatic habitats, have produced the most diverse fish fauna on the planet. About 2,500 fish species have already been described and it is estimated that more than 1,000 new species remain to be discovered. Knowledge concerning this multitude of fish species is still insufficient, which makes their management and protection difficult. About 50% of the species are thought to occur in the large rivers and connected floodplains and another 50% in headwater streams. Inland fisheries give rise to 450,000 t of fish each year and thus contribute substantially to the protein supply of local populations. However, despite their economic importance, these fisheries receive little attention from the respective governme...

Freshwater fishes of the Amazon River basin: their biodiversity, fisheries, and habitats

Cage culture of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) in a central Amazon floodplain lake

Amazon floodplain fish communities: Habitat connectivity and conservation in a rapidly deteriorating environment

Questionnaires were used to collect data from the low-Solimoes/high-Amazon region, Brazil, between December 1992 and February 1994. Gillnets, fishing rods and castnets were the preferred gear used. Gillnets were used throughout the year whilst other gears were used only in certain periods of the year. The fish caught tended to supply family needs but a high proportion were sold in regional markets. Curimata (Prochilodus nigricans), pacu (various Myleinae) and ruelo (young Colossoma macropomum) were the most frequent species caught. Around 50% of the fish caught in these fisheries was consumed fresh, and the remainder was stored under ice or salted. Fish is the most important source of animal protein for this region, with an annual mean consumption rate of 550 g capita−1 day−1. The fishery has changed from a subsistence to a commercial scale, which was associated with increasing cattle ranching activities. This may have serious social and economic implications.

D. Freire‐Brasil

Papers

Characterization of the fishery in river communities in the low-Solimoes/high-Amazon region