Situating Poverty: A Chain Analysis of Small-Scale Fisheries

Abstract

In this chapter, we argue that poverty in small-scale fisheries needs to be examined within the context of the fisheries chain which links the aquatic environ- ment with the natural and social systems at the harvest and post-harvest processes. It is within this context that the factors and conditions underlying poverty may be found and resolved. Such an examination widens the considerations about external and internal sources and drivers of poverty. Poverty in small-scale fisheries extends beyond local communities to regional and national levels. For this reason, we begin by presenting small-scale fisheries globally, with an emphasis on the 15 countries included in this volume. Next, we investigate causes of the vulnerability of small- scale fishing communities to poverty, based on several indices. With some refer- ences to the case studies that follow in later chapters, we suggest how the drivers and consequences of poverty in small-scale fisheries may be examined from the chain perspective.