Aligning the sustainable development goals to the small-scale fisheries guidelines: A case for EU fisheries governance

Abstract

Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, several countries, funding organizations, environmental groups and research communities have pledged support and made commitment to help achieve these goals. SDG14: Life Below Water, for instance, has been embraced as the global goal for conservation and sustainable uses of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Among its many targets, SDG14b speaks directly to small-scale fisheries, calling for secured access to resources and markets for this sector. We argue that achieving SDG 14b requires a holistic approach encompassing several SDGs, including livelihoods, economic growth, community sustainability, strong institutions and partnerships. It is also important to align the SDG targets with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), as the mutuality that exists between the scope and nature of the two instruments can help guide the formulation of appropriate governance tools. Yet, the alignment of these two instruments alone does not guarantee sustainability of small-scale fisheries, especially without an official mandate from the governments. The case in point is the European Union where small-scale fisheries are not sufficiently recognized within the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), despite being the largest sector (75% of the fleet). Through an examination of the CFP in the context of the SSF Guidelines and the SDGs, we discuss options and possibilities for inclusive consideration of small-scale fisheries in the upcoming policy reform, which might then lead to both achieving fisheries sustainability and the SDGs in the EU.

Introduction

In 2015, the world came to an agreement on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are set to address the concurrent global concerns related to deprivation and hunger, inequalities, wellbeing, education, clean water, climate change, ocean and land resources, governance, consumption, and economic growth and so on [1]. The SDG agreement and its implementation has caught the attention of many scholars, sparking a whole new narrative on how SDGs ought to be achieved in an integrated manner [[2], [3], [4], [5]]. Hailing from the natural, social and political science spectrums, the ‘sustainability’ discourses on SDGs tend to converge on the need of approaches that intertwine the principles of economic growth, social development and environmental protection [6] through robust governance frameworks that facilitate their implementation [7].

The debate on the implementation of SDG14 “Life below water” has also taken its course, with various works focusing on the sustainability of the natural capital including the oceans [8,9], marine biodiversity [6], marine space [10], and fisheries resources [4]. Singh et al. [11] take the discussion a step further by looking in-depth at the relationships between the seven targets of the SDG14 and other SDGs and the contribution to other SDG goals by looking at co-benefits and trade-offs inherent to the achievement of such goals. In this paper we will further the analysis by focusing on one of the secondary targets of SDG14, specifically pertaining to small-scale fisheries (SDG14b), which calls for the provision of access to resources and markets to small-scale fishers. The specific attention to small-scale fisheries in the SDGs, comparing with other sectors such as agriculture or mining, is noteworthy, and it points to a need of having a discussion on how small-scale fisheries sustainability can be achieved, both through SDG14b and other SDGs. We argue that the interconnection between SDG14b and other goals, as well as with other global processes, is imperative since what matters to small-scale fisheries go beyond issues of access.

As a sector that draws livelihoods from the oceans, has close connection to land and sea, and is socially and culturally embedded in the communities [12], small-scale fisheries are not only one of the key actors in the governance for ocean sustainability, but can also play significant role in achieving food security (SDG1), reduced poverty (SDG2), community wellbeing (SDG3), gender equality (SDG5), and economic growth (SDG8). The interconnectedness between the different SDGs in the context of small-scale fisheries has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with a recent workshop highlighting the trajectory of adopting a holistic approach to resolve small-scale fisheries concerns pertaining to poverty alleviation, gender equality, food security and ocean conservation [13]. In these discussions, the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, known as the ‘SSF Guidelines’ [14], adopted by FAO Member States in 2014, have been highlighted as an important tool to achieve SDG14b, by integrating them into legal frameworks and relevant processes [13]. The mutuality that exists between the SSF Guidelines and the SDGs implies that synergies can be created in the design of policies and strategies to implement both instruments.

The SSF Guidelines speak directly, with breadth and depth, on the different dimensions of small-scale fisheries, arguing for their importance and contribution to the society, and provide a broad spectrum of how achieving their sustainability is critically linked to the political, social, economic, natural and governance systems in which they operate [15]. For instance, the SSF Guidelines offer guidance on how to reduce the vulnerability and insecurity of fishing people by recognizing their basic human rights, including rights to food, healthy environment, fisheries resources, capacity-building and education, and to livelihoods and work [16]. All of these are central to the goals and targets specified in the SDGs. Hence, as an international tool they have much to offer to the SDG components that pertain directly to small-scale fisheries, and by aligning the two instruments, the governance portfolio can be strengthened. Needless to say, successful integration and coordination of the two instruments in any setting depends on several factors including the existing governing rules and regulations, the capacity of the governing system and of the local communities to mobilize concerted efforts around the effective implementation of these instruments to address the concerns and challenges facing small-scale fisheries. These are the key ‘governability’ questions according to interactive governance theory [17].

Current efforts to align the SDGs through the SSF Guidelines are predominantly happening in the Global South, as illustrated in the exploratory workshop held by FAO in 2018 [13], with minimal, if any, interest in the implementation in the Global North. This is perhaps not surprising given its voluntary nature, the focus on poverty eradication, and since small-scale fisheries in the north may already be regulated through other instruments. One example of this is the European Union (EU), where governance of small-scale fisheries is mostly regulated through the regulations emanating from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Defined as fisheries using vessels of less than 12 m length and mainly using passive gears (EC 508/2014 Art. 3 (2 [14])), small-scale coastal fisheries (SSCF) encompass 75% of the EU fleet as per recent statistics [see 17], making important contribution to the local economies and community wellbeing, also through positive externalities such as tourism [19].

We argue in this paper that the extent to which the EU can support small-scale fisheries depends, in the first instance, to the compatibility between the SSF Guidelines and the SDGs. Yet, the alignment between the two instruments does not guarantee any action within the EU to support small-scale fisheries unless it is mandated in the CFP. A close examination of the current governance profile of the CFP, and the objectives pertaining to small-scale fisheries, is therefore required. This analysis can also be useful in identifying conditions under which goals can be achieved, and determining how the SDG-SSF Guidelines alignment could be beneficial to improve the overall fisheries governance both at EU and Member State level. Considering the two instruments together in the EU fisheries policies implies not only better investment in fisheries and ocean sustainability but also prevents compromising the goals of one instrument over the others.

In the following, we present the results of the content analysis of the SSF Guidelines in terms of the correspondence with the goals specified in the SDGs. The complementarity between the two instruments is discussed, first on their own and later in the context of the CFP. The paper concludes with suggestions about how to move forward in aligning governance goals and targets for EU small-scale fisheries through the CFP.