New Paper: Towards a classification of vulnerability of small-scale fisheries

Mohammad Mahmudul Islam*, Ratana Chuenpagdee

*Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3×9, Canad

This article reviewed 137 case studies from 56 countries to illustrate the wide range of factors that makes small-scale fisheries vulnerable. Vulnerability undermines the role of small-scale fisheries as providers of sustainable livelihoods, good health and wellbeing, food security, and economic development, thus hindering different targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries from being achieved. Having a complete view of all these factors (see Fig. 5 from paper) is likely helping decision-makers to adopt, adapt or rectify strategies to reduce social, economic and political marginalization of small-scale fisheries and promote their viability. Request for a pdf of the article can be sent to M. Islam (mahmud.cmf@sau.ac.bd).

Mahmudul Islam is a faculty member at the Department of Coastal and Marine Fisheries of Sylhet Agricultural University in Bangladesh. Dr. Islam is an interdisciplinary marine social scientist with a background in marine science, oceanography, and fisheries development studies. He has more than twelve years of experience in conducting research on coastal communities, small-scale fisheries, and marine conservation in Bangladesh. Some of his works focused on policy and marine management; thus, he has gathered experience working at the science-policy interface. His recent research interests include marine protected areas governance, climate change impacts, and disaster risk reduction in coastal Bangladesh. His current research focuses on how implementing different fisheries closures without consulting with the fishers causes regulatory injustice and how coastal fishers initiate and implement social innovations to transform or rectify these situations. Mahmud spent one year at MUN as a post-doctoral fellow funded by OFI Module I.