This photostory book celebrates the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022) by showing the diversity of the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture sector in Asia, as home to the majority of the world's small-scale fishers, fish farmers, and fish workers. The photostory book pays homage to the many women and men at all stages of the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture value chain who are involved in capturing, harvesting, processing and trading. The photostory book introduces the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 and shows how the celebration of IYAFA 2022 contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and provides an impetus towards the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication and the United Nations Decade on Family Farming.

These Guidelines for increasing access of small-scale fisheries to credit and microfinance services in Asia have been developed to support the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The purpose of these guidelines is fourfold, i.e. to: • Increase awareness about the financial service needs of small-scale fishers (SSF) for more sustainable and inclusive access to finance; • Guide policy and decision makers in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere, to help introduce and incentivize financial services to small-scale fishers, with the ultimate objective to encourage investment in the industry and by doing so influence and strengthen sustainability, ecological and economic viability of these fisheries; • Build capacity among financial service providers, fisherfolk organizations, NGOs, and concerned government agencies, to design and implement financial service products and programmes that suit the needs of small-scale fishing communities and enhance social protection; and • Promote financial services that incentivize and reward a responsible and sustainable conduct of fishing, fish processing and marketing operations. The document commences by laying out the background and context, purpose and target audience of these Guidelines. It describes why microfinance and credit are important for small scale fisheries and why many small-scale fishers are not currently financed, which includes a discussion of risks. The Guidelines suggest entry and leverage points for actors interested in supporting the access of financial services for SSFs and compares agriculture (smallholders) and SSF business characteristics. The Guidelines identify a range of actors involved in finance of SSF, which include supply side, demand side, multifunction and enabling environment actors. It elaborates on the likely roles and activities of each category of actor, as well as their incentives and constraints in the provision or receipt of finance. The Guidelines describe some key good practices in the provision of microfinance and credit to SSFs and delves into some detail on the market, main activities and possible products, the role of product design, policies and procedures, marketing and promotion, risk assessment and credit analysis, delivery channels, loan monitoring and repayment elements and the need for product pricing to contribute to institutional sustainability. Finally, the Guidelines provide advice to second tier investors, including guidance on the use of smart subsidies, and when concessionary loan funds may be preferable to loan guarantees.

Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to food security and livelihoods of millions of people in Asia. Both women and men are engaged in fisheries and aquaculture. In the past ten years, many actors have worked on raising awareness on women’s contribution as well as promoting gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture. This study aims to consolidate the efforts to date to provide recommendations for action and future studies. Its objective is to answer the following questions for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Asia: (i) What is the division of labour between women and men in specific fisheries and aquaculture practices and what are the differences with respect to their access to assets, resources and entitlements? (ii) What are the drivers of such differences? (iii) What could be critical entry points and opportunities for addressing inequalities and discriminatory practices? To answer these questions, the study conducted an online literature search on gender and fisheries and aquaculture in Asia, selecting articles published between 2011 and 2021. This period was selected to understand the contemporary condition and state of knowledge, and since we aimed for an exhaustive list of literature, some limits in the time period was necessary. The review included both published peerreviewed papers in journals as well as other research and project reports that are available online. In total, it reviewed 253 publications on fisheries and 210 publications on aquaculture. The top four countries where studies were conducted are India (44.3 percent of fisheries and 24.3 percent of aquaculture articles), the Philippines (35.6 percent of fisheries and 17.6 percent of aquaculture articles), Bangladesh (27.7 percent of fisheries and 32.9 percent of aquaculture articles) and Indonesia (30.8 percent of fisheries and 20.5 percent of aquaculture articles). The findings based on each research question are presented in this publication.

This literature review on seafood ecolabels in Asia looks into the concerns of producers, exporters, and consumers and identifies barriers to implementation. It stresses the need for tailored policies and government-led capacity building initiatives.

Most small-scale fisheries are in developing countries and many live in poor and food insecure communities. These guidelines considers how small-scale fisheries can contribute to poverty alleviation and food security, and complement existing technical guidelines on sustainable fisheries. Issues discussed include: participation by small-scale fishers and their communities in development of policy and regulation measures, as well as in management decision-making and implementation processes; cross-sectoral uses of fisheries and related resources; the special role of women in fish marketing, processing and value addition; the significant scope for trade; financing; information research and communication aspects.

The importance of fisheries is not lost in the global policy arena. What is often overlooked in the general discourse, however, is the significant difference between small-and large-scale fisheries. Major rethinking about all aspects of small-scale fisheries is required, including their contribution to catches, employment, livelihood, food security and conservation. This book is a collection of essays about the diverse, complex and dynamic contexts that characterize small-scale fisheries around the world. The essays highlight the strengths, capacity, motivation and contributions associated with this fishing sector. They remind us that solutions and opportunities for the viability and sustainability of small-scale fisheries can be found, once the issues are understood from a holistic perspective and possible options, including inventive governance arrangements, are fully explored. The authors are scientists and practitioners who work in small-scale fisheries in various parts of the world, many of whom participated at the first World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (WSFC), held in Bangkok in October 2010, and are members of the global research network for the future of small-scale fisheries, Too Big To Ignore. The editor, Ratana Chuenpagdee, the initiator of the WSFC, is Canada Research Chair in Natural Resource Sustainability and Community Development at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Book jacket.