USAID Sustainable Fish Asia Technical Support – Case Study

The study aimed to create a preliminary profile of stateless and socially excluded small-scale fishers in the region, exploring their interactions with foreign militia and industrial fishing fleets, their security needs, and identifying ways to empower their resilience and self-reliance to strengthen regional maritime security through inclusive and sustainable fisheries practices. The study focused on the Western Philippines, where small-scale fishers face significant challenges, including statelessness, social exclusion, and interactions with foreign militia and industrial fishing fleets. The investigation identified key findings, including the prevalence of statelessness among small-scale fishers, their interactions with foreign fleets, and the extent of marine wildlife trafficking and illicit criminal networks. The study also highlighted the need to build resilience and capacity within these communities, decreasing the attractiveness of illicit activity while increasing their basic human security. The investigation involved a research design that included data collection and analysis from various sources, including interviews with small-scale fishers, community leaders, and government officials. The study identified additional findings specific to the Sama community, as well as findings pertinent to all small-scale fisher communities included in the investigation. The discussion section of the study examined the key questions and findings, including the magnitude of statelessness within Western Philippines SSF communities and its effects on their security, interactions between foreign fishing fleets and SSF communities, the extent of illegal marine species harvest and trafficking, and the presence of illicit activity networks. The study also identified key issues and concerns affecting the way of life for these socially excluded SSF communities and proposed an approach to build resilience and capacity within these communities. The study made several recommendations to strengthen small-scale fisheries security, including participating in fishery management decisions, empowerment through capacity building, and collaboration with regional organizations such as the CTI-CFF, RPOA-IUU, ASEAN Secretariat, IOM, and USAID. The study emphasized the need for inclusive and sustainable fisheries practices to address the challenges faced by small-scale fishers and to strengthen regional maritime security. The study highlighted the importance of addressing statelessness and social exclusion among small-scale fishers in the Indo-Pacific region, as these factors contribute to their vulnerability to illicit activity and undermine their basic human security. The study's findings and recommendations provide a foundation for future research and policy development to address the complex challenges facing small-scale fishers in the region. The study's geographic focus was on the Western Philippines, where small-scale fishers face significant challenges, including statelessness, social exclusion, and interactions with foreign militia and industrial fishing fleets. The study's timeframes were not explicitly stated, but the investigation was conducted in response to the SuFiA TS Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Analysis, and the study's recommendations are relevant to the current and future policy and programming efforts in the region. The study's implementation details were not explicitly stated, but the investigation involved a research design that included data collection and analysis from various sources, including interviews with small-scale fishers, community leaders, and government officials. The study's methodology and data collection processes were not explicitly described, but the study's findings and recommendations provide a foundation for future research and policy development to address the complex challenges facing small-scale fishers in the region.