2. Overview of Small-Scale Fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges and Prospects

The importance of small-scale fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean has been widely recognized in terms of income, livelihoods, and food security for more than two million people. The highly diverse ecosystems and multiple species found within this region determine the variety of fishing techniques, gears, and target species, as discussed in this chapter. These diverse and complex characteristics pose challenges to the region’s governing systems, which may lack the technical and financial resources to cope with the numerous resulting management and governance challenges. These pressures are further exacerbated when fisheries assessment and monitoring are poorly conducted, adding uncertainty in relation to the status of the ecosystem and fish stocks. Small-scale fisheries activities thus have become vulnerable in the face of various challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. Current efforts to enhance small-scale fisheries viability and sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean include the adoption of innovative management approaches that focus on the entire ecosystems rather than on single species and that acknowledge the concerns of local stakeholders in decision-making through strategies such as collaboration with the government in co-management arrangements. Although many of these co-management arrangements in the region are still nascent, this chapter highlights that fishers and their organizations play a significant role in responsible resource governance through exercising ecosystem stewardship.