Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 124

PART 2 FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN ACTION
global sustainable development agenda (FAO,
2016f ), mainly because of lack of awareness of the
real contribution of inland fisheries and the
ecosystems that support them. In addition, inland
fisheries are dispersed and not generally
associated with intensive yields or taxable
revenue. In many developing countries and
particularly LIFDCs, inland fisheries, the people
that depend on them and the ecosystems that
support them are extremely v ulnerable to impacts
of ill-advised development, poor labour practices,
pollution, habitat loss and climate change.
Furthermore, at present, most inland fisheries are
poorly managed or not managed at all.
Competition for freshwater from more powerful
sectors, such as agriculture and energ y, t y pically
reduces water quantit y and qualit y for inland
fisheries. Post-har vest losses are substantial in
some regions.
strains used in aquaculture, the long-term
investment required for genetic improvement and
the need for comprehensive g uidelines on
approaches on a range of genetic improvement
options. COFI SCA stressed the importance of
high-qualit y seed and genetic improvement
programmes in aquaculture and specifically cited
selective breeding, particularly as an effective
means for increasing production efficiency and
improving aquatic animal health. n
GLOBAL INLAND
FISHERIES REVISITED:
THEIR CONTRIBUTION
TO ACHIEVEMENT OF
THE SDGs
As asserted in the “Rome Declaration: ten steps to
responsible inland fisheries” (FAO, 2016f), inland
fisheries are an essential element of the SDG
package adopted by the UN in 2015 to end poverty,
protect the planet and ensure prosperity. Using a
combination of an ecosystem approach (Beard et al.,
2011) and a human rights–based approach to
develop and manage inland fisheries, through
application of the SSF Guidelines (FAO, 2015a) (see
“Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture” in Part 3),
would help achieve SDGs related to biodiversity,
human health, poverty alleviation, improved
nutrition and climate change.
With the 11.6 million tonnes harvested from
inland capture fisheries and 51.4 million tonnes
from inland aquaculture, freshwater ecosystems
are important sources of food fish and have
accounted for about 40 percent of all fish destined
for human consumption in recent years. As inland
capture fisheries production is often under-
reported, its importance as a source of food,
income and livelihood in many developing
countries and food-insecure areas may be even
larger than these figures imply. The majority of
global inland fishery production is in developing
countries in Asia and Africa (Figure 34). Low-income
food deficit countries (LIFDCs) provide 43 percent
of global inland capture fish production (see Box 11
in “Fish for food security and human nutrition”,
page 117). Indeed 15 of the 21 countries with the
highest per capita inland fish production are
LIFDCs. The impact of inland capture fisheries
may be focused in specific areas of a country. In
Brazil, for example, the national average
consumption of freshwater fish (from inland
capture fisheries and freshwater aquaculture) is
rather low at 3.95 kg per capita per year in 2013
(FAO, 2017n), but in the flood plains of the
Amazon, per capita inland captured fish
consumption by riverine communities is close to
150 kg per capita per year (Oliveira et al., 2010).
Inland fisheries and the SDGs
Goal 1: Eradication of poverty
The World Bank (2012) estimated that in 2009,
inland capture fisheries and their value chains
(i.e. primary and secondary sectors) provided
income and employment to over 60 million people
worldwide. Inland fishers who depend on fishing
for their livelihoods are among the poorest and
most vulnerable rural populations. These fisheries
contribute to poverty reduction and resilience
building by providing food, income and
employment. Fishery-related livelihoods are
particularly important in rural and remote areas
where alternative employment is lacking. Fisheries
strengthen resilience by acting as a safety net
during lean times and when disaster strikes, when
other food-producing sectors (e.g. agriculture) do
The contribution of inland fisheries has often
been overlooked in policy discussions and the
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