Transnational fishers’ movements: emergence, evolution, and contestation

Abstract

Global transformations in fisheries have contributed to the expansion of transnational movements, as they continuously seek out new ways to strengthen their global linkages and find spaces and platforms for engagement. As more platforms emerge for addressing international concerns, intergovernmental bodies have become increasingly implicated in navigating the political integration of diverse global actors, such as transnational fishers’ movements. Focusing on the World Forum of Fisher Peoples and the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers, this article tracks their engagement in the politics of global fisheries. It explores the history of these movements, beginning with the first steps that were taken toward building an international fishers’ network between 1984 and 1997, and follows their evolution into the movements they are today. It also examines their political agendas and strategies, and their representation of small-scale fishers in international spaces over the last two decades. The article argues that three pivotal developments offer important insights into the politics of transnational fishers’ movements. First, they are internalizing overlapping fisheries, food and climate crises, and are aligning their activities and demands accordingly. Second, fishers’ and agrarian movements and platforms are increasingly converging around common struggles. Third, international intergovernmental bodies have broadened their attention to fisheries issues in their analysis and activities. These developments have been crucial in shaping the movements’ political agendas, and for building alliances in order to scale up and strengthen their advocacy work.