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24 reasons to love fish
The World Fisheries Day was celebrated by fisherfolk all over the world on the 21st of November. This day is a welcomed opportunity to appreciate the oceans and inland waters as a food basket, fish as healthy food, and small-scale fisheries as an important and traditional livelihood.
There is a multitude of reasons why we should value fish, small-scale fisheries, and artisanal aquaculture. We have put together 24 reasons to love fish to highlight the importance of the sector for culture and identity, food security, health, livelihoods, economic security and the sustainable management of natural resources.
We love fish because they are diverse!
There are many different types of fish, large, small, thick and thin. They can be vegetarian, omnivorous or carnivorous, migratory or stationary, some can breathe, and some can even fly.
#Environment
#Sustainability
We love fish because it is big in nutrition!
Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, iron, iodine, vitamins A, D and B12, calcium and zinc. It contributes to a healthy diet and it is important in the fight against hidden hunger.
#Food Security
#Health
We love small-scale fisheries for creating a sense of community!
In fishing communities, people work together to harvest fish, learn from one another and transfer knowledge across generations.
#Culture
We love fish because it allows you to engage with nature!
Seeing fish through a snorkeler’s mask, on an angler’s line, or inside an aquarium allows us to interact with nature. Aquarium visits have been shown to have a lasting impact on our conservation knowledge.
#Environment
#Sustainability
“We love fish because it contributes to the development in our country! Tourists come and stay to see our beautiful fish species in Lake Malawi.” - Esnart Sadick, Malawi
#Economic Security
#Livelihood
We love fish because some are fascinating and mysterious!
Humanity discovers distant galaxies, but no human has ever seen an eel or great white shark reproduce.
#Environment
#Sustainability
Small-scale fisheries are “too big to ignore”!
Small-scale fisheries support millions of households directly, employ millions of people in post-harvest activities, and feed billions of people worldwide!
#Economic Security
#Livelihood
We love fish, because it creates identity!
Among the members of small-scale fishing communities who fish at sea, there is usually a profound pride in their occupational identity as fishers and a high devotion to the fishing way of life. Fishing at sea requires high degrees of independence, self-reliance, autonomy, risk taking, and outdoor work challenging nature, and if these are important cultural characteristics of the fishing occupation, they are also necessarily important characteristics of individual fishers.
#Identity
“We love fish because fish is relish that we eat as Africans and I sell it for source of income to take care of my home!” - Prudence Mumba, Zambia
#Economic Security
#Livelihood
#Food Security
We love fish because fish provides livelihoods!
In low-income countries, small-scale fisheries and aquaculture are important for subsistence and economic security!
#Economic Security
#Livelihood
Fish is humanity's only wild food source!
#Environment
#Sustainability
We love fish because it is our hope for “greener food”!
Wild-caught fish and fish from aquaculture have lower carbon footprints than chicken, pork, and beef.
#Environment
#Sustainability
We love small-scale fisheries for their traditional fishing methods!
Small-scale fisheries use different fishing methods, such as nets, lines, traps, cages and spears.
#Culture
We love fish because it can be processed in a variety of ways!
Fish can be readily dried or smoked to provide nutrient sources all year long, even in lean seasons.
#Food Security
#Health
“Fish and fishing are for me a family tradition. Already my father was a fisherman.” - Ibraham Sarr und Issa N‘Dioya, Mauritania
#Culture
#Identity
Small-scale fisheries are our best hope at sustainable fisheries!
Most small-scale fisheries discard almost no fish and use less fuel than industrial fisheries. They contribute to local food security and provide 90 per cent of all jobs in fisheries.
#Sustainability
#Environment
“We love fish because fish is life to us. Everything is centered on it. I cannot describe it any better!” - Londa Kunda, Zambia
#Identity
We love fish because it is delicious!
Whether grilled, smoked, fried, steamed, boiled or raw, fish tastes good and is popular in many cultures and regions.
#Food Security
#Health
#Culture
We love fish because it empowers women!
About 180 million people in low-income countries depend on fisheries and aquaculture as a source of livelihood. Women represent half of the workforce and are primarily engaged in post-harvest activities.
#Empowerment
#Livelihood
“With the money I am making with rice-fish farming I am able to pay for the school fees of my three children. Also, I can now buy legumes such as moth beans, lima beans and bambara groundnut that my children love. We now eat legumes 2-3 times a week and we have also bought seeds to grow them ourselves.” - Alban Andrianandrasana, Madagascar
#Economic Security
#Livelihood
We love fish because they act as early warning systems!
Their behaviour – like the canary in a coal mine – can indicate harmful environmental changes at an early stage.
#Environment
#Sustainability
We love fish because it is a smart choice!
For children’s cognitive development, healthy omega-3 fatty acids are important and naturally available in fish.
#Food Security
#Health
“We love fish because it is shared more equally among household members than other animal protein sources and it can thereby help reduce malnutrition.” - Osman Muhammed, Malawi
#Food Security
#Health
Our oceans provide perspectives for current and future generations!
Effective fisheries management works! It helps to recover fish stocks, to preserve marine biodiversity and thereby provides food, jobs and income for current and future generations.
#Sustainability
#Environment
Authors
We invite you to share with us any additional reasons why you love fish. Please send your contribution via e-mail to GVFisch@giz.de.
24 reasons to love fish is a joint communication product of the GIZ Global Programme on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture and the GIZ Sector Project on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture. It is based both on facts from literature and on perceptions of local people in our partner countries.
Under the special initiative “ONE WORLD NO HUNGER, the Global Programme supports sustainable aquaculture in Cambodia, Madagascar, Malawi and Zambia and artisanal fisheries in Mauritania and Uganda. The aim of the programme is to sustainably increase fish production, create jobs, improve incomes and contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources.
Photo credits
All pictures Copyright GV Fisch / GIZ. Except picture 1, 4 and 6 © Mechthild Kronen.