Philanthropy’s role in sustaining fisheries for people and nature

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) and their communities, numbering about half a billion people, are the largest group of ocean users and are central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below water). Their multigenerational knowledge and stewardship experience are critical for sustainable fisheries management, biodiversity conservation and climate action, and they play a pivotal role in food security and good nutrition. Yet SSF worldwide are neglected due to lack of data, recognition and investment, and they face extreme risks arising from inequitable governance, overfishing and the impacts of climate change. 

Philanthropy can provide flexible, patient funds to help local actors implement lasting solutions and showcase what catalytic interventions and thriving communities can look like. It can also stimulate new, innovative financing for SSF through collaborating with public and private institutions and, in doing so, increase SSF’s benefits to society.