Reports and Articles
The Global Ocean Grab
Published: By TNI Agrarian Justice Programme, Masifundise and Afrika Kontakt. September 2014.
The term ‘ocean grabbing’ aims to cast new light on important processes that are negatively affecting the people and communities whose way of life and cultural identity depend on their involvement in small-scale fishing and closely related activities. Small-scale fishers and fishing communities in both the Global South and the Global North are increasingly threatened by powerful forces that are dramatically reshaping existing access rights regimes and production models in fisheries. This process is leading not only to the dwindling of control by small-scale fishers over these resources, but also in many cases to their ecological destruction and very disappearance. Read the full report:
in English: The_Global_Ocean_Grab-EN
in Spanish: The_Global_Ocean_Grab-ES
A Call for Governments to Stop Supporting the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO) and Rights-Based Fishing (RBF) Reforms
Published: 20th March, 2013
We, the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF), call on governments from all over the world, as well as inter-governmental institutions, to abandon the World Bank initiated Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO) and the unprecedented drive toward ‘Rights-Based Fishing’ reforms. Read the full report:
in English Call-on-Governments_ENG_200313,
in Spanish Llamamiento a los Gobiernos_SPAN_200313,
in French FR_Appel_aux_Gouvernements_FRA_200313.
WFFP Coordination Committee Meeting – Decisions and Report
Published: Basque 2-7 November 2006
The CC meeting held at Basque gave us hope, courage and also renewed our commitment towards the artisanal, small scale, and beach based fisher people in the world.
Read the full report: Report of CC Meet 2006
World Fisheries day 2004 Souvenir
Published: 21 November 2004
On World Fisheries Day we once again reiterate our stand: that we, the traditional, artisanal and small fisher people are the custodians of the water bodies, fish resources and we have the right for the first sale and distribution of the fish we catch.
Read the full report: World Fisheries Day 2004
FishersNet Special Edition – WFFP 6th General Assembly
Published: Vol. 23 September 2014
Since 2005 Masifundise Development Trust have been publishing FishersNet (commonly known as VissersNet in Afrikaans), a newsletter which aims to keep fisher communities informed about the recent activities and developments in the Small- Scale Fisheries (SSF) sector and to share stories about their challenges and successes.
The articles are written in popular language which makes it easy to read and understand. Over the years, the VissersNet has served as a powerful tool, not only in sharing information but also in building consciousness at a community level. Currently, Masifundise published three editions per annum, in the four languages commonly used in the four coastal Provinces, viz. English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu.
However, for the WFFP 6th General Assembly a special edition was published focusing on issues specifically to the WFFP and was translated into three languages. See our special edition to read about Ocean Grabbing, MPAs, the International Small-scale Fisheries Guidelines and much more.
Download here:
Ocean grabbing: a new wave of twenty first century enclosures
Written by: Nick Buxton, Carsten Pedersen and Mads Christian Barbesgaard
Published: in OpenDemocracy 17 October 2014
Not only are the small-scale fisher communities best placed to ensure food sovereignty, but they are also the starting point for any serious transition towards an ecologically and socially just food regime. In this op-ed, the authors siren the alarm to the global ocean grab and call for “a revolution to bring the oceans back into the global commons.”
A Week of Action on Food and Climate Justice – World Food Day 2014
A report by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
The 2014 World Food Day theme – Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth” – has been chosen to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farmers. It focuses world attention on the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas. PFF on occasion of world food day 2014 planned to mark week of action on Food and climate justice. Various activities ranging from mobilization meetings, public awareness raising, walks, dialogues, family farmers short marches took place. Read the full report to learn more.
Marine Protected Areas in South Africa – ocean grabbing by another name
By: Mads Barbesgaard, Carsten Pedersen, Timothé Feodoroff
Published on 21st November 2014 International World Fishers day in The Ecologist
In an article published in the Ecologist, Mads Barbesgaard from Afrika Kontakt, Carsten Pedersen from Masifundise Development Trust and Timothé Feodoroff from Transnational Institute reflect on World Fisheries Day, where fisher peoples and their allies took to the streets and beaches to fight against ocean grabbing in all its forms – including Marine Protected Areas imposed without consultation that rob and criminalise local communities and benefit only privileged outsiders.
Week of Action Against Ocean grabbing and implementation of voluntary guidelines on small scale fisheries
A report on World Fisheries Day 2014 by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
Read this report to learn all about the PFF’s week of action against ocean grabbing and the implementation of the voluntary guidlines on small scale fisheries. The week of action saw rallies, marches and seminars to raise awareness and sound the alarm on how ocean grabbing is not only affecting Pakistan but the world at large.
WFFP ICN2 2014 Report
A report on the WFFP’s participation in the ICN2 international conference on nutrition
19-21 November 2014
Despite fish being a key component in nutrition and food security in the world, small scale fisheries have never been a major focus in conferences on nutrition. This November saw the second international conference on nutrition hosted by FAO and WHO, and the WFFP represented small scale fishers world wide as part of a group of social movements present. Read this report to learn how CC members of the social movement navigated a space that has historically been dominated by a strong agricultural and pastoralist focus and how they lobbied on behalf of world fishers to try get ocean grabbing on the agenda and the importance of the international voluntary guidelines in securing world nutrition. Go to our resources page to read the statement made on behalf of social movements.