“Small-scale fisheries in Africa employ over 95% of fishers and provide more than 90% of the fish consumed across the continent. In Mozambique, as elsewhere on the continent, small-scale fisheries are a crucial component
of the rural economy, supporting food security and livelihoods. These fisheries, however, face a range of pressures arising both from dynamics within the sector
itself, such as overfishing and illegal fishing, as well as external forces related to the development of other sectors
of the economy and geophysical changes associated with climate change. Although governance efforts related to small-scale fisheries have tended to focus on strengthening fishers’ access to markets, credit and improved fishing technologies, the emergent challenges facing the sector in a
modernising economy such as Mozambique require greater focus on ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks targeted
by small-scale fishers and strengthening the resilience of small-scale fishing communities.”
