Marine Tenure Info Brief: A Priority for Development Programming

Small-scale fishers and coastal communities with secure rights over a given fishery, fishing ground, or territory have a strong interest in organizing and acting collectively to manage their resources sustainably. Formal recognition of marine tenure provides communities with the security that they can invest in and manage their fishery resources for the long-term. Marine tenure involves establishing a set of rights and responsibilities in the coastal and marine environment as to who is allowed to use which resources, in what way, for how long, and under what conditions, as well as who is entitled to transfer rights to others and how. The responsible governance of marine tenure supports the establishment of a set of rights and responsibilities for local communities, providing them with the security to invest in and manage their fishery resources for long-term sustainability. Small-scale fisheries have been acknowledged as an important socioeconomic sector, employing more than 90 percent of the global capture fisheries workforce. However, they have been largely invisible in development programming. The Global Food Security Act of 2016 realigns USG foreign assistance toward increasing the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of small-scale producers of fisheries to reduce global poverty and hunger, promote inclusive economic growth, and build resilience among vulnerable populations. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (FAO 2015) underscores the importance of responsible governance of tenure within small-scale fisheries to support food security and coastal economies. As such, there is a growing global agenda to address the complex needs of small-scale fishing communities, providing multiple opportunities to support USAID's development objectives. Securing sustainable small-scale fisheries is emerging as a global development agenda. The responsible governance of marine tenure is essential for achieving multiple development objectives, including increasing food security and nutrition, reducing extreme poverty and promoting sustainable, inclusive economic growth, and preventing and responding to crises, conflict, and instability.