Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 17 • 30th September 2005

Fisherfolk Conference Adopts Jakarta Declaration

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During a workshop in Jakarta on 26 to 28 September, approximately 40 participants representing small-scale fisherfolk organisations from Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines arrived at a common position on trade liberalisation of fisheries and the definition of small-scale, ‘artisanal’ fisheries. The conference, which was organised by the SEAFish for Justice Network in collaboration with Oxfam International, adopted the Jakarta Declaration on Sustainable Fisheries. The definition of “artisanal” fisheries in the declaration includes criteria such as the direct engagement of fisher families in all phases of fisheries production or of fishworkers whose earnings are based on share of the product, percentage of sales or wages. Other characteristics are the use of passive and traditional fishing gears, vessels with low horsepower or no engines; use of fish catch mainly for consumption; and limited access to capital to upscale production levels. The declaration highlights the vulnerable position of artisanal fisherfolk and the urgent need for government policies to give priority to artisanal fisheries in recognition of their importance as a source of food for local and national consumption and for sustainable livelihoods. Mr. Anang Anoegroho, Director for Foreign Market Development, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia strongly recommended subsidies to small-scale fishing and for artisanal fishing to be considered non-actionable under WTO law.

The conference concluded with the delegates agreeing to form a network in response to the problems besetting the artisanal fishers in the region. This new network is called “Southeast Asia Artisanal Fisherfolk Movement for Sustainable Fisheries and Fair Trade.” Its members are expected to lobby their respective governments to submit positions to the WTO based on the Jakarta Declaration.

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