Practical Guidesmallscalefishing.eu/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Handbook_1_e… · The sense of...

Practical Guide

Practical Notebookon the possibilities for the inclusion of women

related to small-scale coastal fishing

2016

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Editorial Box:“BSP CONSULT BG”9700 Shumen 29 “Vasil Levski” str., bl.2, vh.Ge-mail: [email protected]://smallscalefishing.eu

Publisher: “Strategma Agency” Ltd.

2016All rights reserved

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ContEnt

1. Introduction 5

2. Small-scalefishermenworldwideand in Europe 7

• Aroundtheworld 7

• In Europe 14

• In Bulgaria 21

3. Developmentoffishingpolicyfromtheperspectiveofparticipationofwomenintheperiod2014-2020 22

4. Strengtheningtheroleofwomenintheeconomy:unusedresources 27

5. Women in SSF: traditional roles and opportunities 29

6. Promotingtheroleofwomeninfishingcommunities 31

7. EncouragingactivityintheworkofassociationsandCSandtheLIFEplat-form 46

8. Conclusion 49

References 50

Application 51

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ACRonYMS

BAFS BulgarianFoodSafetyAgency

RES RenewableEnergySources

SSF small-scalefishing(fishermen)

ЕМРФ European Marine and Fisheries Fund

EU European Union

EFF European Fisheries Fund

AHL AnimalHealthLaw

LFA LawonFisheriesandAquaculture

ZUSESIF LawonmanagementofthefundsfromtheEuropeanstructural and investment funds

FLAG FisheriesLocalActionGroups

FAoUn Food and Agriculture organization of the United nations

oPF Operationalprogrammefisheries2007-2013

CFP CommonFisheriesPolicy

CMD Council of Ministers Decree

RACF RegionalAdvisoryCouncilforFisheries

AKtEA Europeannetworkofwomen’sorganisationsinthefisheries andaquaculturesector

FARnEt EuropeannetworkoffisheriesareassupportedbyAxis4 of the EFF

ICSF InternationalCollectiveinSupportofFishworkers

LIFE LowImpactFisheriesofEurope

StEFC Scientific,TechnicalandEconomicCommitteeforFisheries

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1. IntRoDUCtIon

The present edition is the result of the implementation of Pilot project: “Meas-ures to support small-scale fisheries”, EU Grant Agreement: MARE/2014/04 - SI2.724176 and “SP CONSULT BG”.

The aim of this financial assistance is to increase the public awareness about the role of small-scale fisheries in future de-cisions on the relevant policies at national and European level through implementa-tion of good practices, applicable in the Black Sea basin region.

The project’s is primary intention is to establish a European Association of fish-ermen of the Black Sea, to do research and analyses for the purpose of write manuals, articles and etc. that will assist the researched sector. More than 130 rep-resentatives of small-scale fisheries from the Republics of Bulgaria and Romania will be trained. Exchange of experiences in Great Britain id envisaged as a country with strong traditions in this industry.

This edition is intended for representa-tives of organizations of small-scale fish-ermen and other stakeholders concerned in this sector. The manual reflects only the position of the author(s) and the Com-mission shall not be held responsible for the information included therein.

This guide presents the development of the role of women in small-scale coast-al fisheries in its development, present condition and future prospects on global, European and national scale. The pres-entation addresses the issues of fisheries policy in the new programming period 2014-2020 and the presence of women in it, the general problem of the untapped potential of women in the economy, and tracks historically the traditional female roles in the small-scale fishing commu-nities and the ongoing changes, which open new opportunities for them. Spe-cial attention is given to the promotion of the active role of women in the sector through certain supporting functions they could perform, such as accounting, re-lated administrative activities, activities related to participation in existing asso-ciations, councils and Internet platforms. Tips are included for setting a policy for marketing of the production and securing entrepreneurial capital, using the catch as a resource. The empowerment that collective action can provide to women in the fishing communities is elaborated in the review of the practice, experi-ences, successes and obstacles to local, national and transnational associations and organizations.

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The guide helps people employed in the fishing sector to get orientated in the overall picture of the lifestyles of fish-ing communities round the world and in Europe and to better comprehend their place in it. It highlights the develop-ment of the situation and the forecasts for future opportunities, and offers ad-vice about ways in which women can be more efficient, successful and influen-tial in determining the rules in the sec-tor and increasing the welfare of their families and communities.

For further information, the Application contains a list of links to studies of wom-en in the fisheries sector and their roles and achievements in the European Union and in individual Member States.

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2. SmALL-SCALEFISHERmEnwORLDwIDEAnD In EURoPE

Аround the worldSmall-scale fishing communities have a widely recognized contribution to food security, employment, incomes and to providing the livelihood of many poor people around the world. The variety of coastal resources creates opportunities for these people. Because of the relative easiness of becoming a fisherman, many people all over the world depend wholly or partly on fishing for the subsistence of their families.

According to the latest data of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAOUN, 2012) at present 87.3% of the fishing areas globally are either fully or over-exploited. This is complemented by a range of other human activities that lead to pollution of the coastline and de-stroying habitats, which further reduces the resources. The subsidies in the fish-eries sector in the past increased the over-pressure on the resources, and the

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destructive fishing methods threaten the functioning of the broader ecosystems in many coastal areas. The increasing global demand for fish by various users and the penetration of the global market chains in nearly all corners of the world also create incentives for over-exploitation of the waters. The climate changes are al-ready affecting the coastal habitats (such as coral reefs, which are under serious threat of destruction).

In addition to the natural challenges, fish-ermen are confronted with economic dif-ficulties, including the cost of fuels and food, changes in the market structures that force them to respect the global en-vironmental imperative of the contempo-rary society and the dynamic changes that occur in local and national economies. Es-sentially, the support for the sector in the current situation means a contribution to keeping the population in the coastal are-as and protecting the ecosystems.

The small-scale coastal fishing is or-ganized mainly in family enterprises of communities with rooted tradition, local knowledge and culture. The catch of fish in the sea is clearly dominated by men, but women play a key role in the activ-ities in their entirety. They are the con-nection between fishing activities at sea and shore-based support and distribu-tion of goods produced in the community and in society. Small-scale fishermen are mainly self-employed, independent own-ers and operators of boats, fishing crew and workers who often receive a share of the catch.

The small-scale fishermen and their sup-ply chain and service functions cover a large number of people involved in fish processing, marketing, production of boats and nets. They also form a part of the tourist industry.

On the one hand, the deliveries of local fresh fish and the specificity of the local dishes are an essential part of the hospi-tality service that makes it attractive to visitors; on the other, anglers themselves with their traditional practices and even with their vision represent one of the at-tractions of coastal zones.

Small-scale fishermen have many advan-tages over large industrial fishing vessels in terms of their relatively low environ-mental impact and high social dimen-sions. They can and in many places they do provide substantial indirect employ-ment in ancillary activities.

Since fishing entrepreneurs and farms always adapt to specific marine ecosys-tems, their management needs are dif-ferent. For example, in the cold waters small-scale fishermen usually fish for a few species, while in tropical waters the variety of species is great. This means also a wide variety of fishing gear, part of which is not used most of the year. So the nature of the marine ecosystem that is exploited is an important determinant of many of the cultural characteristics of the fishing communities.

Globally, the assets related to the ac-tivities of coastal fishermen are basical-ly four types: natural, physical, finan-cial and human. The natural assets are the marine ecosystems and the species

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that inhabit them. Physical assets are the fishing vessels, the fishing gear and the equipment used for the harvest process-ing and sale. Financial assets are required to maintain the operations, providing physical assets and for provision of the other social and economic activities of the fishermen. The human resources, in-cluding skills and information used in the fishery activities, and the broader accu-mulated knowledge about life in a fishing community are considered a part of the respective local cultural heritage.

The sense of pride with their occupa-tion and the addiction to the lifestyle of a fisherman is typical among the coast-al fishermen. Sea fishing requires greater independence, self-confidence, autono-my, risk-taking and combating the forc-es of nature. These are not only impor-tant characteristics of one’s identity, but also a feeling of satisfaction that is not measured only on an economic basis. For them, fishing is not just a means of pro-viding income, but also an activity that is experienced as rewarding as a meaningful way of life.

The dominant fishing techniques are of-ten the result of considerable accumulat-ed experience. They stem from adapting to the specific marine ecosystem, which is exploited and the opportunities the fishermen actually have to procure the needed fishing gear. These include not only fishing tackle, but also the knowl-edge of them - manufacture, use, main-tenance - which is an important element of the culture of the fishing community. Fishing nets, elements of the vessels and

trophies become cultural symbols that form part of the identity of the fishermen and their skills and are often included in various rituals.

Technological innovations can provide significant improvements in small-scale fisheries. The abrupt replacement of the traditional with new tools, however, can have disastrous consequences on com-munities in the form of increased levels of ecosystem degradation and resource depletion. The growing dependence on more expensive technologies increases production rates and can sometimes leed fishermen to a bankruptcy.

Small-scale fishermen have valuable eco-logical knowledge, which includes in-formation on the time and conditions under which certain species are availa-ble, how to fish and the accessories that are the most effective for the harvest when such conditions are met during the periods in question.

Maintaining the catch over the years re-quires that fishermen apply a conserva-tive approach to fishing. Among the fac-tors that necessitate it are:

• inability to accurately forecast avail-ability of passages and future harvest;

• inability to accurately predict the future market prices of fish;

• inability to accurately predict future climatic conditions;

• uncertain access to health insurance and business insurance, as well as loans for operating activities.

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Maintaining other income opportunities is an important tool to reduce the risk and uncertainty, associated with fishing as a form of employment. Since the sea is less predictable, most fishermen must have other sources to switch to during the off-seasons. Most often the complemen-tary activities are also seasonal in nature, but beyond the fishing season.

The many roles that women play in these communities emphasize their basic im-portance in socio-economic terms and for their general well-being. They often pos-sess independence and economic autono-my. Moreover, they often form socio-eco-nomic networks that help them in selling the harvest and in other activities. More often women deal with the fish process-ing. Although the work is not as risky as the one in the sea, it is also related to possible injuries and medical problems.

Nowadays the economic contribution of women in the small-scale fishing com-munities still remains the processing and marketing of the fish, but with the rapid changes in the socially stablished practic-es with regard to which roles and activi-ties are siutable for women, they are in-creasingly involved in fishing as well. With advanced age women tend to reduce their participation - according to global statistics women over the age of 60 are only 5%. This may be due to the fact that fishing activities require energy and wom-en should be physically strong to handle most of the tasks.

The activities of women - paid and unpaid - including all along the value chain and activities before and after the catch: ed-ible shellfish collection, fishing, knitting and repairing nets, sorting and processing the fish, production of fishery products and sale and distribution. They have lo-cal and traditional ecological knowledge, which is a valuable contribution to the sustainable use and conservation of ma-rine ecosystems.

Often women cannot protect their la-bor rights because their economic role is not formally recognized. They have lim-ited access to social insurece, funds and loans. They work very often in insecure and problematic hygienic conditions. Glo-balization, privatization, pollution and climate change have led to decreasing access to fish for processing and sale. The lack of access to funding for wom-en means no resources to purchase the necessary equipment for the storage of fish, maintaining high quality and fresh-ness, which reduces their control over the markets.

In 2010, the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), an interna-tional NGO that works for equality, gender balance, independence and sustainability in the fisheries sector, and in particular in small-scale coastal fishing achieved an international agreement called the “Common Agenda for sustainable living and well-being of fishing communities and equal participation of women”. The agenda was adopted by a wide network of women from fishing organizations,

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academic communities, practitioners, so-cial activists and other civil society or-ganizations. This common agenda was used for inclusion of gender issues in the “Voluntary guidelines for securing sus-tainable small-scale fisheries” in the con-text of food security and poverty eradica-tion, adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2014 and “Voluntary guidelines on the re-sponsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests”(2012). The guide-lines emphasize the key role of women in small-scale fisheries and point out that achieving gender equality is crucial for sustainable fishing.

The implementation of the guidelines is essential in enabling women to ac-quire ownership rights, equal participa-tion in decision-making and protection from discrimination.

Overall, although the specific forms of women‘s work in the fishing sector are different in the different cultures and re-gions, and between rural and urban ar-eas, it is rarely seen as “productive”. It has low social value and is perceived as a continuation of the household. Realis-tically, however, by participating women strengthen the fishermen‘s organizations and expand their business. Their merit is the focus on the quality of life in the fishing communities, such as access to health, education, hygiene.

The analysis of the gender roles in the fish-eries sector, which is being made in view of achieving a balance in the participa-tion in its economic dimension, describes the women‘s place in the global value chain. The framework of this analysis has three sections - profile of the activities (who does what), profile of the access and control (whо has what) and analysis of the factors and trends (what is the socio-eco-nomic context). The profile of activities considers what work is performed by men and women, where and when. So far the analyses of this type show that the role assigned to women is still strongly tied to the local culture. In the developed coun-tries, for example, the participation of women is concentrated at the end of the value chain and has greater social pres-tige, while in the developing countries it is spred along the entire chain and has the lowest status.

The reasons why women are not visible in the fishing industry are rooted in the fact that the activities they are perform generally overlooked not only by econo-mists and analysts, but very often by the authorities (Hitomi, 2009). Therefore the analysis of the gender value chain was in-troduced with the goal of maximizing rev-enues for both men and women involved at its various levels. This type of analysis is important since it emphasizes the dif-ferent positions and contribution of men and women along the chain and reveals the economic and organizational relation-ships between participants located in dif-ferent parts of the value chain in fishing.

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It highlights the distribution of potential and actual benefits, the delegation of au-thority, the ownership of resources. This creates opportunities for targeting of the support and providing incentives for re-ducing the number of intermediaries, in-creasing the small-scale fishermen’s abil-ity to negotiate and provinding access to appropriate technologies for processing, storage and transport, so that fishermen with scarce resources can capture larger amounts of value-added products in the global value chain.

Almost all the studies in the fisheries sec-tor, whose number has increased sharp-ly over the last decade compared to the previous, reached the conclusion that the participation of women is more sig-nificant then it is commonly considered. According to the nine countries that are among the largest fish producers in the world, they constitute 46% of the work-force when the activities before and after the harvest are included. Their current participation is determined by the rapidly shrinking amount of the resources on the one hand and by the increased global de-mand on the other.

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the latest research of the World Fish Center on the role ofwomenwas fo-cused on three main aspects:

а. markets, trade, migration

Men and women occupy different posi-tions in the fish supply chain. Although they have very limited participation in fishing per se, the main involvement of women is most often in the process-ing and trade. Most government and international interventions are concen-trated on the regulation of the fishing activity, gear and access rights rather than on improving the processing and market access. The new industries can create new opportunities for women, such as the cultivation of algae or small processing factories.

b. Identities and networks

Membership in formal organizations such as associations or cooperatives is more typical of men. While many men take pride in their profession of fisher-men, little is known about the identity of women in the fishing communities. Identity is fundamentally linked to the sense of belonging to networks and forms of social structures and process-es, and cultural norms.

c. climate change, disasters and resilience

Why gender is important as regards small-scale fisheries? The sector is tra-ditionally percieved as male, including because it is associated with a sense of adventure and risk, where women are generally excluded. Gender dispar-ities can lead to decreased labor pro-ductivity in the sector and inefficient allocation of labor at the community and national level. The current condi-tions generally restrict women to the low levels of the supply chain in the so-called “informal” sector. Like in ag-riculture and forestry, women often constitute a large percentage of the population in poverty in the fish pro-duction. Climate change further exac-erbates the problem.

There is growing evidence thatcountries where there are achieve-ments towards gender equality,achieve greater economic growth and overallwell-being.

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Source: Pavel Salz, Framian bv,

Graeme Macfadyen, Poseidon Ltd.,

Regional Dependency on Fisheries,

Parlement européen, 2007.

In EuropeAs in other parts of the world, small-scale coastal fishermen in Europe develop in time and space from specific ecological and changing socio-economic and cultur-al context, marked by variety rather than uniformity. Therefore, all discussions on the issue should consider the fact that there is a problem with their definition. Definitions are not universally applicable and what in one situation can be defined as small-scale, in another will be medium or large-scale.

Small-scale fishing can also include:

• Freshwater catches;

• Auxiliary activities (production of fishing gear, net repairing);

• Processing and marketing;

• Management of the fishery firms.

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native employment could be scarce and therefore the price of this option is high. Furthermore, the loss of activity of SSF is accompanied by loss of skills, traditions, knowledge and culture, which constitute the social basis of the communities. It is therefore important that they are pro-tected as a unique sector with important contribution.

A key contribution of SSF is that in many parts of Europe they take various initia-tives for responsible fisheries, such as:

Prud‘hommes de Pêche French Mediterranean

• Marine Reserve, created by Lira and Cedeira in northern Spain

• Restinga Marine Reserve (El Hierero - Canary Islands, Mar de las Calmas, Spain)

TheinvolvementofFrenchfishermenin the management of Iroise national ParkinwesternFrance

• Selective catch of lobster (langoustine / nephrops trawl fishery) in the Bay of Biscay

• Agreement on the midline of the English Channel between Britain, France and Belgium

Inshore Potting Agreement in Devon.

Its defining criteria, used in the EU, are:

• Structural characteristics - size and / or capacity of the vessel (length, tonnage or HP / Kw); used fishing tackle;

• Territory / range: location of the fishing zone - distance from shore, time in the sea;

• Socio-economic criteria: kinship of the crew; benefits-sharing system (salary, catch and profits); size and fund structure of the fishing enter-prise, nature of the enterprise - a cooperative, private owner, family, joint venture, etc.)

• Other criteria (seasonal variety and fishing accessories), traditional prac-tices (closed seasons, closed areas, joint management, etc.).

Another way of definition is the degree of industrialization, where the categories are artisanal, semi-industrialized, indus-trialized fishing companies.

The main difference between Europe and other parts of the world, to which FAOUN’s attention is focused like Asia and the Pacific is that European coun-tries have no communities dependent on fishing. If a fisherman loses his job, there is a social security system that provides unemployment benefits, requalification opportunities etc. However, if the com-munities inhabiting the coasts lose fish-ing as an activity, the chances of alter-

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OPF - applies only to maritime fishermen. Freshwater fishing - estuaries, lagoons and other areas or from the coast - are under the jurisdiction of the Member States. In addition, Member States have special rights over the 12-mile zone where most of the activities of a SSF are concentrat-ed. For this and other reasons, it can be argued that SSF is a sub-sector, for which the most appropriate level of government is the national as regards governance and policy-making.

The Voluntary guidelines are important because SSF have a different status com-pared to large-scale fishermen. By join-ing the EU, Member States confer com-petences for the fisheries management to the European Commission in the waters within 200 miles (Community waters) and in terms of international waters and the waters of third countries for vessels regis-tered in the European countries.

In Europe small-scale coastal fishing pro-vides a high level of employment and is not only socially, but alsoenvironmental-ly sustainable form of fishing. For most coastal areas this is a way of life and a sig-nificant source of subsistence. Therefore it recognized at EU level that it should be encouraged in order to survive and should be given an impetus for economic devel-opment. As a new target of a common fishery policy, the EU has set ensuring preferential access of SSF within 12-mile maritime zone, i.e. in the most sensitive part of the Community waters.

In the European Community a total of 500,000 fishing vessels are registered and the small-scale fishing fleet consists of over

Seafishingistheexclusivejurisdictionof 7 EU institutions, where the mainones are:

• the Council of Ministers of the memberStates legislative and executive functions focusing the greatest power;

• the European Commission delegated executive, legislative and quasi-judicial functions; co-decision;

• the European Parliament certain legislative and executive functions.

Other important EU institutions are:

• the European Court of Auditors financial / budget / audit functions;

• European Court of Justice judicial functions.

ПIn 2012 FAOUN issued Voluntary guide-lines for governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of na-tional food security. Their purpose is to serve as a reference point for improving the management, with the long-term goal of progressive support of people‘s right to adequate food in the context of national food security. They are intended to con-tribute to the global and national efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty on the basis of the principles of sustainable de-velopment.

To better understand how to apply the Voluntary Guidelines on SSF in Europe, it is important to comprehend how they apply at EU and at Member State level. Above all, the fishing policy of the EU -

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12 million. Both however each provide 30 million tons of annual catch for the mar-ket. It is important to note that the fish-ing ships reach that amount, utilizing 37 million tons of fuel, while the small-scale fishermen - only 5 million tons. Yet an-other fact of key signifcance - large ships discard between 8 and 20 million tons of extra harvest in the sea annually, which is generally prohibited, while with the SSF this practice is extemely restricted.

Meanwhile, these fishermen are faced with many problems, the most acute among them beiong the preservation of their fishing areas, conflicts with the trawls of large ships, the need for a spe-cial status to be guaranteed by law, etc.

Ten years ago in Europe more than 100 000 women were statistically recorded as employed in the fishing sector, but meas-uring their contribution represents a con-siderable difficulty. Statistics for example does not include women working full or part-time in family businesses without being legally recognized and without the associated benefits.

Women do not have a special place in the framework of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. For the first time the new European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) recognizes the role that women play in the fishing family business. From now on they will be able to benefit from support and training, in particular for ac-quiring skills related to entrepreneurship and business management.

In the European countries, women control 39% of the fishing industry and provide solid income for themselves and their families (Aquilar, 2002). The key role of women in professions based on natural resources such as fishing, has long been accepted, but has not been recognized and appreciated the way the role of men is (Obetta et al., 2007). One of the main factors that limit women‘s participation in economic activities such as fishing is the lack of access to and control over the production process (Acharya, 2003). According to researchers, women in ru-ral areas participate more actively in the traditional fishing sector.

Attention to women‘s participation in the sector in Europe increased at the begin-ning of the century. One of the first stud-ies - “Women in small-scale fishing”, 2002 - showed that despite the cultural and economic diversity in the EU, with regard to the fisheries sector the perception of women demonstrates a high level of sim-ilarity.

• Women do not feel well accepted in marine fishering, but they are re-luctant to participate anyway. It is therefore not surprising that their number in it is very small. Women play a very small role in the fishing proper (3% in the EU), ranging be-tween 0 and 7% across the states, and in general their inclusion is pe-ripheral.

• Women feel discriminated in aqua-culture, but to a much lesser extent and are more widely involved. In this area there are some activities

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specifically run by women. The av-erage level of participation for the EU states is 27% (ranging from 3 to 44%). The lower limit (for the Neth-erlands) is considered unrepresenta-tive. It likely reflects the fact that aquaculture in the Netherlands is mainly comprised of mussels, which is an activity closer to fishing than to the farm breeding. The summarized data undoubtedly conceal the re-gional characteristics (for example, in regions such as Galicia aquaculture is traditionally a female occupation).

• Processing is the only sub-sector in which women are over-represented, but mainly because they dominate in low-paid unskilled labor. On aver-age, they represent a small major-ity (53%), but the range is wide in the different Member States - from 11 to 75%. In most EU countries the percentage is between 40 and 60 percent, and only in Greece the par-ticipation of women is markedly less (11%).

• Women have greater presence in the segments of management/ adminis-tration, which are more favorable for them and are perceived in a more positive light. Women‘s participation in these activities amounts to 39% on average, which is even higher than expected. The percentage is due much more to the public (regulation, research, training) than to the indus-trial sector.

• Economic discrimination against women has been observed in the sector. They are paid 12% lower than men for the same work. However, this is less than the average pay gap in the economies of the EU coun-tries, which is about 22%.

• Finally, the role of women as support for active (marine) fishermen is re-garded as very important and highly undervalued by the fishing communi-ties. In some areas the unpaid work of women in support of family fish-eries is actually the only connection they have to the sector. Besides do-ing housework and raising children, it includes specific activities related to the on-shore management (espe-cially when men spend longer time in the sea).

Their inclusion or non-inclusion, particu-larly in the fishing itself is dependent upon several external and psychological factors, which include:

(i) the overall perception of external pressure that discourages women for several reasons: they “sre not strong enough”, it is “too dangerous”, they “bring bad luck on board”;

(ii) lack of willingness because they find fishing unattractive – associated with inconveniences, hazards, absence of normal conditions, low status and “rough” male company;

(iii) the concept of the sector as provid-ing poor career prospects. This is not only due to the gender characteris-

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tics. Women are aware of the dwin-dling employment opportunities, problems with the resources and the fact that the most non-prestigious positions are the most accessible to them (processing), as well as of the descending trend (manual labor is replaced by machines or transferred to economies with lower cost). That is why many women invest efforts in preventing their children from enter-ing the sector.

In this situation the types of activities in-volving women fall into four main catego-ries, ranging from management tasks to administration. In a netshell, they are:

• Overall control: in the company, the woman allows her husband to in-dulge in fishing, exempting him from all financial, fiscal, administrative and marketing duties and supplies;

• Communications: providing the nec-essary business communications. With the development of the tech-nologies, this function becomes in-creasingly shared between men and women because it can be carried out from boats.

• Accounting: keeping the books of in-come and expenditure, working with banks and public financial and other requirements.

• Marketing: maintaining a market-ing network, monitoring the current prices, active sales of fish, negotiat-ing bargains, active marketing.

Several EU directives reffering to women‘s rights and directly binding on all Member States complement the provi-sions of the Treaty of the European Union, which are considered directly applicable by the European Court of Justice. Howev-er, the methods of transposing and imple-menting these directives in the Member States are different: the interpretation of the relevant national regulations some-times leads to very different results. In these circumstances, the legal framework and its actual implementation in terms of women employed in small-scale fisheries vary significantly across the EU states.

Special women’s associations in the fish-ing industry are rather an exception than the rule, but significant changes have occurred in this aspect. Education and training appear crucial to improve the status of women. According to the results there are some opportunities for special-ized training, or at least in principle they potentially exsist.

In 2016 AKTEA was founded, the Europe-an network of women‘s organizations in fisheries and agriculture, by female fish-ing organizations from France, the Neth-erlands, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Ita-ly, Greece and Scandinavia. Through this network they are trying to implement the following agenda:

• A collective campaign, aiming to make the role of women in fishing visible and to consolidate it by giving it a legal status. In particular, they aim at the implementation of EU Di-rective 86/613, which defines the le-

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gal status of the supportive wife in the national legislation of the Mem-ber States and at providing women with equal access to social benefits. The achievements in some of the countries in this respect are greater than in others (France, Spain, Portu-gal).

• Access of women from the fishing communities to decision-making on management issues in the sector. This is the main theme of AKTEA for encouraging organizations in the network to participate in the Re-gional Advisory Council for Fisheries of the EU. It also encourages them to engage in consultations on important policy issues in the field of fisheries in the EU on Member State level, such as the process of drafting the Green Paper of reform in the Com-mon Fisheries Policy and the Europe-an Fisheries Fund.

• AKTEA takes care that organizations that are its members participate in initiatives for promotion of the local economy and the local community, such as organizing local fish mar-kets, activities to build a good im-age of the fishers and promotion of their traditional culture, campaigns on safety at sea and better working conditions for the crews.

• And last but not least, women‘s or-ganizations are encouraged to mobi-lize support by the government and apply for funding from the special-ized funds for common female pro-jects such as collective sale of fish and education and training programs.

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According to FAOUN the number of small-scale fisheries in Bulgaria is 2767, and in Romania it is 673. In Bulgaria it represents nearly 94% of the total number of regis-tered active boats as of end 2015, and in Romania 94.4%.

There is no data on the gender distribu-tion of the workforce in fisheries in both countries, since no such were submitted to Eurostat. For the aquaculture, howev-er, data are available, according to which in Bulgaria (Scientific, Technical and Eco-nomic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), the number of enterprises is 336, and the distribution of the workforce is 930 men and 445 women, i.e. women are 32.4%; in Romania, the number of enterprises is 315, and the distribution of the workforce is 2135 men and 554 women, i.e. women are 20.6%.

In the processing sector in Bulgaria (ac-cording to the STECF data) the number of enterprises is 45, and the distribution of the workforce is 883 men and 1051 wom-en, i.e. women are 54.3%; in Romania the number of enterprises is 13, and the dis-tribution of the workforce is 230 men and 342 women, i.e. women are 59.8%. Eu-

rostat and STECF data differ significantly in absolute terms, but proportionately re-flect the global trends of concentration of women in processing, to a lesser degree in aquaculture and their virtusl absence from the fishing activities.

According to the Bulgarian public register of the active fleet, the active vessels un-der 12 meters were 1790 at the end of 2015. The large ships with length over 12 meters are around 100. Romania does not support such a register.

Association has not become an effective practice in the fisheries sector in Bulgaria yet. According to publicly available data the registered associations are currently ten, but not all of them are active. Half of them are in the Northern Black Sea coast: three in Varna (“Trakata”, “Quar-antine”, “Ada Bahcha”) and two in the north of Varna (“Kaliakra” – Kavarna and “Kariya” - Shabla). Most of the small-scale fishermen, however, prefer to work inde-pendently because of the fees they have to pay in organizations. In Romania there are 5 active associations, 3 of them in the Danube Delta area.

In Bulgaria

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The fish in the sea is a public resource and is not only an important source of protein and nutrients for billions of peo-ple around the world, but also the source of 60 million jobs in the sector, 90% of which are in small-scale fishing and 15% of them for women. The European fishing fleet has over 83,700 vessels that employ more than 150 000 people and at least three times more workplaces on shore. Four out of five (80%) of the fishing ves-sels in the European fisheries are defined as “small-scale” (with lenght less than 12 meters).

Historicaly at the end of the last and at the beginning of this century the waters from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea, and from the Baltic sea to the Mediterra-nean have been overfished, leading to a dramatic reduction not only of fish stocks, but also of fishermen relying on them. This ecological disaster stirred public condemnation and the fishermen who had the aura of heroes in their communities became “pirates” who do not think about the future.

Virtually without exception, overfish-ing is not due to those 80% of fleet, represented by small-scale fishermen. Since they cannot move to new loca-tions, small-scale fishermen are forced to keep what they have. Thus, regard-less of the percentage of the total fleet

3. DEvELOPmEnTOFFISHInGPOLICyFROmTHE PERSPECtIvE oF PARtICIPAtIon oF WoMEn In thE PERIoD 2014-2020

that they represent, they take care of the sea using fishing gear that provides high-quality fresh fish, but their voices could not get to influence the policy - at the national and the EU level. As a result, the fisheries policy is dominated by the large, better organized and resourced sector of the fleet, often to the detriment of the small-scale sector.

The commercial fishing in European wa-ters is managed through the Common Fisheries Policy. The regulation is re-formed every ten years, and despite the good intentions for decades it neglects the described diminishing of fish and jobs related to fishing.

As a result of the latest reform, which be-gan in 2009 and was completed in early 2014 with the adoption of a new policy, two basic changes occurred. First, the Lisbon Treaty introduced the co-deci-sion. This means that MEPs had the op-portunity to influence the reform process and second, small-scale fishermen and their representatives, with the help of a large number of environmental NGOs participated in the process. The combi-nation of these two elements undoubted-ly had a serious and very positive effect on the results.

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The new CFP and its related regulation concerns:

• providing a fair standard of living in the fishing sector, including small-scale farms;

• preferential access for small-scale, artisanal and coastal fishing vessels, an action plan for development, competitiveness and sustainability of coastal fishing;

• incentives, including economic, to encourage more selective fishing with low impact on the marine ecosystem and fishery resources. When Member States define their fishing perime-ters, they should use transparent and objective criteria, including environ-mental, social and economic.

Streight after the introduction of the new CFP the question of the actual implemen-tation of the measures emerged. To this end, small-scale fishermen who united and spoke in one voice during the reforms formed the Basic Team that created the LIFE platform (Low Impact Fisheries of Europe).

The main objective of the LIFE Platform is to provide the clear and coherent opin-ion of the majority of European fishermen on EU level, who are small-scale and use fishing tackle and methods with low im-

pact, but so far they had no effective rep-resentation in Brussels, or even at Member State level. Established as an organization in May 2014, LIFE is, in the words of its President, “organization of organizations led by a fisherman for fishermen”. It is managed by a Management Board of an-glers from all over Europe, all members of the local small-scale fishery communi-ties. The platform has an Executive Di-rector, supported by a team in an office in Brussels and regional coordinators who currently cover the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean area.

The members of LIFE unite fishermen who are small-scale and have a low environ-mental impact, but at the same time high social and economic value to the commu-nities that they support and that support them. Typical of them is that most often they do daily sea fishing trips and have low GHG emissions per kilogram of har-vest, i.e. sustainable type of catch. Their importance is not limited to the catch or even to those men and women who work routinely in one of the most dangerous environments to provide fish for our ta-ble (fishing is characterized by more inju-ries and deaths than any other industrial sector). It is much bigger, because these people take care of the sea every day:

• they are often at the core of envi-ronmental programs and initiatives;

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• they keep 1,000 years-old cultures and traditions alive;

• they are the successor of countless generations of knowledge and skills and if lost, they could never be restored;

• they are often the mainstay of the vulnerable communities inhabiting the coasts, because they support them, create jobs where sometimes there is no other employment and are a source of fresh fish.

Since its establishment in 2014, LIFE has already more then 7000 members, work-ing on more than 4,000 boats in all of the 14 maritime Member States of the Union.

Here is an example of the change that can guarantee sustainable development of the sector in Europe. Traditionally, ac-cess to fish in the sea, or at least for most European fishermen goes through the allocation of fishing quotas, represent-ing a share of those allocated to the re-spective state based on historical harvest data. The problem with this approach for the small-scale fishermen is that they do not have adequate systems of register-ing their catch, while the operators of the larger vessels have their log-books, where they register in detail everything they landed. In some cases they exagger-ate the indications to secure access to future opportunities. The method obvi-ously rewards those who have the biggest catch and leaves the small-scale fleet out of the process. This in turn provides many important resources and thus affects the larger fishermen. The vicious circle of lack of resources is closing, and as a re-sult small-scale fishermen have no impact on the fisheries policy and the quota is consolidating in the hands of the larger players.

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In Britain, for example, although the small-scale sector represents 77% of the fleet in absolute number, it has an access to only 1.5% of the quota in tonnage. This situa-tion is exacerbated because the quota is becoming a commodity for sale. The cur-rent trading, along with well-intentioned but dangerous initiatives to further pri-vatization of fish in our seas, means that the small-scale sector is left standing on the pier without being able to catch the fish that goes by, while large and often foreign fishing vessels utilize the national quota, which they purchased or acquired based on previous harvest.

Article 17 of the CFP requires from the Member States to incorporate the crite-ria of environmental, social and economic considerations in the allocation of access to fishing quotas. If governments take this approach seriously and not just in words, it could revolutionize the industry very quickly. It would reward any vessel or group of vessels that implement sustaina-ble fishing and bring significant social and economic benefits, but until then the sys-tem will encourage those with the biggest catch, not with the most useful one.

The potential of the small-scale fishing sector to ensure sustainable jobs and the livelihoods of the local communities in the long term, and to reduce the impact on the ecosystem is enormous. Small ves-sels provide over 40% of the total employ-ment in the sector and provide European citizens with fresh, local seafood. Moreo-

ver, they generate workplaces elsewhere in the community – in local trade, in man-ufacturing and in repair activities.

Naturally, such a large group cannot be homogeneous, which is a challenge in it-self. That is why the CFP embarked on re-flecting the challenges. It introduced spe-cial rules to minimize the administrative burden on small-scale fishermen and their SMEs – for example they are not expected to keep a log-book.

The EU is also striving to make the right investments. Access to finance was fa-cilitated in the new European Fund for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. For small boats a higher percentage of funding is eligible - 75%. But things are not limited to financing. A framework has been pro-vided for conservation of the activities of small-scale fisheries. This is not only done at EU level. Since the measures for pres-ervation and access are local in origin, small-scale fishermen should have greater participation.

The LIFE platform aims to influence the development and implementation of the policy and to ensure that fishing in Europe is done in a sustainable way, and that the destructive fishing practices are eradi-cated by the new CFP and the concerns of small-scale fishermen get heard. With the help of changes in the overall policy, financial support and the growing collec-tive voice of the industry can become the pulse of the future generations.

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In 2010 the European Parliament organ-ized a public hearing on “Women and the sustainable development of fisher-ies areas”. In 2013, on its own initiative, the Parliament included specific actions in the Common policy for developing the role of women.

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Women represent slightly over a half of the world‘s population, but their contribution to the measured econom-ic activity, growth and prosperity is far below its potential and this has serious macroeconomic consequences. Despite the significant progress made in the re-cent decades, labor markets around the world remain gender-divided and pro-gress towards equality seems to be at a standstill. The participation of women remains lower than that of men, women perform the majority of the unpaid work, and when they are engaged in paid em-ployment, they are overrepresented in the informal sector and among the work-ing poors. Overall, remuneration of their labor is lower than that of men. The pro-portion of women among entrepreneurs also remains low. Differences in produc-tivity of businesses owned by men and women according to research are mainly due to the access to resources (Blackden and Hallward-Driemeier 2013).

The Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sus-tainable and inclusive growth reflects the priorities of Europe and the way it will approach the future economic chal-lenges. One of the biggest among them is unemployment. When innovative solu-tions to economic challenges are sought,

ignoring half the population means wast-ed potential of half the workforce.

It is a known fact that change does not come easy and does not happen fast. Habits die hard. We have all grown up in a society, dominated by men. Conscious-ly or not, we participate in maintaining the power structures of society that dis-criminate against women by inertia. The presentations in the leading media also influence the way boys and girls per-ceive the world and their aspirations. Securing visibility of strong women in the media and highlighting their remark-able success can inspire women to be more ambitious.

Viewed through the issue of fundamental rights, gender equality shows that wom-en‘s rights are a matter of immediate concerns. In the economic sphere the link between equality, economic growth and institutional mechanisms should be recognized. According to the Index of Gender Equality, which in employment measures the difference in participa-tion on the labor market, in the duration of working life, in sectoral segregation models and the labour quality (such as flexible working hours, job training and health and safety), women participate in

4. STREnGTHEnInGTHEROLEOFwOmEnIn thE EConoMY: UnUSED RESoURCES

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a lesser degree, work fewer hours and generally their working life is shorter.

This situation is defined as problematic because the economic independence en-ables men and women to control their lives and to plan their families.

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In most fisheries men are the main pro-ducers. This is especially valid with re-gard to fishing activities that occur off-shore. These activities are reserved for men who are physically fit to withstand the difficulties of working at sea. There are good reasons for that – the work re-quires physical strength and men are generally larger and have more muscles than women, which generally makes them more productive; fishing boats have very limited space and supplies of food and water that should maintain the maximum possible amount of productive energy. Also, sea fishing is a potentially dangerous activity and women are im-portant to the community as guardians of the family reproduction.

This does not mean that women are not represent on the boats during the catch or should not do that. There are nota-ble exceptions to the rule, especially in Asia, where whole families live and work together on water.

However, there are many other ways in which women participate in the fisheries sector, but traditionally they are expect-ed to perform a dual role: managing the household and taking care of the chil-dren, and being the engine of fish pro-cessing and marketing. So women use

part of the their husbands’s catch to sat-isfy the needs of the family and the rest to provide for other needs. In the fisher-ies communities they are the ones that obtain loans when needed, because they are involved in more and more extensive social networks than their husbands.

The gender analysis is still poorly in-volved in fisheries and mostly limited to the roles that men and women perform. The belief that men fish and women par-ticipate in post harvest activities and sale remains the most prevalent among cultural, social, political and economic environments. Averages of global statis-tics that support this perception mask the real importance of women national-ly.

Changes in the traditional roles of wom-en in modern societies are both naturally occurring and deliberately caused. The natural evolution is the result of global economic and social trends, changes in lifestyle and the influence that women managed to achieve thanks to their unit-ing for a common cause. Purposefully caused changes are the result of the fish-eries policy, which increasingly recogniz-es their key role and is looking to expand their capabilities, including by means of Blue growth.

5. WoMEn In SSF: TRADITIOnALROLESAnDOPPORTUnITIES

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The activities that will contribute to ensuring the remuneration of wives / daughters of fishermen within in the fish-eries considered as promising and having opportunities for development are:

Accounting

The effective management of the fish-ing enterprise requires accounting that helps them fulfill their obligations to the tax authorities and make informed deci-sions about their financial situation. De-cisions that are not based on accurate accounting information can lead to re-duced profits or losses. This is an impor-tant intrinsic function that women could perform.

The National Revenue Agency requires reporting of sales, expenses, deprecia-tion and information about participation in programs, financed by national or EU funds. Furthermore, the funding insti-tutions demand detailed business and personal information about the fisher-men’s property and the status of their outstanding loans.

Accounts-keeping includes the collec-tion, organization, categorization and maintaining of financial information re-lated to the catch and its marketing. Different methods could be used - from

basic hand accounting to modern com-puterized systems. The management function also involves assessment and analysis of accounting information. With their help informed decisions can be tak-en based on the actual situation or on forecasts.

The financial part is related to the mon-ey and financial operations of the fishing enterprise. It includes sales of the har-vest, operational costs, liabilities and receivables, assets, depreciation, loans and price information. The part concern-ing the harvest refers to the quantity of caught fish by species. When this infor-mation is maintained and categorized accurately, it is a useful source of busi-ness decision-making.

The choice of a system should be deter-mined by the expected use of the ac-counting information. There is no “best” system for all situations, but as a mini-mum an accounting system should:

• provide accurate and relevant in-formation;

• fit in the organization of the fishing enterprise;

• be in a form that helps decision-making.

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If a woman takes over the accounting function, she must build the habit of regularly and accurately describing the transactions. Using banking transactions is convenient because it facilitates the tracking.

Double entry accounting provides the most detailed accounting of business transactions in the fishing enterprise. It usually takes a long time to master and implement the system. The simpler manual accounting system with assets adaptation would be sufficient for most fishing enterprises and is an accepted method of accounting the income and expenses for tax purposes.

Although the manual accounting system is suitable for many fisheries, the choice should not dismiss the computerized op-tion. The comparison between the two shows the following:

• manual accounting does not re-quire a large initial investment and is easy to implement;

• the computerised system is more expensive to install and requires more training;

• manual accounting takes longer and creates greater possibility for errors;

• the computerised system is fast and accurate;

• manual accounting provides limited level of analysis without investing extraordinary time and effort;

• the computerised system can be a powerful analytical tool.

Historically, the keeping of accounts and analysis of financial information has al-ways been a challenge for small fisher-men. Computerized systems, however, have the main purpose of solving chal-lenges. Their introduction depends on the expectations to the accounting, the time allocated to the purpose and the attitude to the initial investment.

In practice, computerised accounting systems may not save much time. Their real advantage is the opportunities for analysis. After the information is en-tered into the software, reports and analyzes can be created, modified and printed. Monthly and annual summaries can be made to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an operation. When accurate and complete accounting re-cords are available, different tools can be used for financial analysis.

Well done book-keeping and analysis of the accounting information has the po-tential to provide a significant role to women in the fishing enterprise, a good status and good income opportunities. This function secures the financial and operational decisions in the fishing busi-ness, the compliance with the tax laws and other government regulations, and obtaining of bank loans.

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Administrative activities related to the harvest

The integrated process of information gathering, analysis, planning, consulta-tion, decision-making, resource alloca-tion and implementation of regulations and rules that govern fishing activities to ensure constant resource productivity and achieving of the business objectives is the management function of a small-scale fishing enterprise, part of which is the administration. The ultimate goal, to which this process is subject, is the sustainable optimization of benefits.

At the same time however, the process relates to a series of activities repre-senting an administrative burden on enterpriceses and requiring investment of time and effort. This is an important function that women could perform. The EU regulation in this field is harmonized, but since administrative obligations are arising from the national legislation, we will use the Bulgarian law as an example.

According to the regulations, commer-cial fishing in the waters of the Black Sea and the Danube River is carried out by legal entities and sole traders after the issuing of a permit for commercial fishing and entitlement to fish stocks and other aquatic organisms1. The right is granted, but should be certified for the respec-tive calendar year through a certificate issued by EAFA. Commercial fishing per-mits for the waters of the Black Sea, the Danube River and the EU Water are is-sued to ships, registered in the register of fishing vessels.

Entry in the register of fishing vessels, authorization of commercial fishing, spe-cial permits and rights certificates for utilization of the fish resource and other aquatic organisms are made in compli-ance with European Union law.

The types of fish that are subject to quo-tas and to the issuing of a special fish-ing permit are determined by the Minis-ter of Agriculture and Food. The special permits for fishing in the waters of the Black Sea are issued for a calendar year to ships, included in the list of approved fishing boats for fishing of quota species, adopted with an order of the Executive Director of EAFA and holding a valid per-mit for commercial fishing.

The described administrative services necessitate the payment of fees accord-ing to a Council of Ministers’s tarrif, ex-cept for fishing with specialized equip-ment for commercial fishing.

The issuing of a commercial fishing per-mit for the Black Sea and the Danube River requires the submitting of an ap-plication form to the respective terri-torial unit of EAFA, with attached copy of the sailing permit/temporary sailing permit issued by the Executive Agency “Maritime Administration” or a copy of the nationality act; proof of ownership of the vessel or document proving the justification of its use; a document of paid commercial fishing permit fee and a declaration that the fishing vessel, for which a permit is requsted, is registered under the Food Law.

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The permit holder for commercial fishing must inform the authority which grant-ed the authorization of any changes in the circumstances, related to the boat characteristics within seven days of their occurrence.

The validity of the permit may be termi-nated with an order, when for two con-secutive years the holder has not been issued a permit, the permit holder does not comply with the law or has declared zero catch. The fishing boats are subject to official deletion from the register and the released capacity remains in favor of the state. Commercial fishing is done only with gear and vehicles that are marked and entered in the certificate, subject to marking within a specified pe-riod.

Any person holding a premit for com-mercial fishing in the waters of the Black Sea is obliged to provide EAFA with gen-eral information and economic statistics about the fishing vessel, data on the number of employees and the fishing ac-tivities by the end of March.

When fishermen are engaged in commer-cial fishing, they should keep a log-book after the model issued by EAFA, which consists of data on the harvest by spe-cies and quantitative composition: for turbot it is reported in units and by size groups in kilograms, for sturgeon by spe-cies, gender, weight and size of each individual and for the rest fish and oth-er aquatic species in quantities in kilo-grams, including the allowable catch. If

the vessel’s length is over 10 meters, the captain is obliged to reflect in the log-book the time, coordinates of the areas and places of fishing.

Failure to comply with the statutory re-quirements and rules lead to sanctions, most of which are financial or related to withdrawal of rights. Therefore, the implementation of administrative activ-ities is an important task that requires investment of considerable time, includ-ing familiarization with the provisions and monitoring of the changes in them, and respecting the deadlines. This activ-ity also has the potential to give women a significant role in the fishing enterpris-es with a good status and good income opportunity.

Moreover, according to studies it is pre-ferred by women and perceived much better psychologically than participation in activities, related directly, preceding or following the harvest.

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Activities related to participation in as-sociations, councils and Internet plat-forms;

There are three principal types of organ-izations involving employees in the fish-eries sector:

• Trade Unions - formed where there are larger groups working in an enterprise, for example in the pro-cessing factories;

• Producer/trade associations - or-ganizations of associations of fish-ing farms, associations of fish trad-ers and so on.

• Specialized women‘s organizations – associations, formed by women employed in the fisheries sector in some form.

Specialized women‘s organizations in the fisheries sector have been formed in many EU countries, including France, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, UK, Finland. In some cases, associations are specifically created to protect the in-terests of women in the fisheries sector, others are sectoral version of the nation-al networks of women (such as the Greek women‘s cooperatives, some of which are part of the fishing communities). In the first instance, the Norwegian expe-rience shows evolution from a focus on health and safety to active lobbying, first for the interests of their spouses, then of the women themselves. Initiatives in this area have not achieved equal success: in France, the development of associa-tions has been very successful, while in Belgium they are not very effective. In

both cases, national/ European funding has been provided, but while the French organization is based on official recogni-tion of the role of women and homoge-neity in the organization’s composition, the Belgian unites women with different interests and is hampered by conflicts.

In the last decade of the last and the first decade of this century, a number of new women‘s organizations in the fish-eries sector emerged in Europe due to the crisis that it undergoes and the wom-en’s concerns about its survival and the survival of the communities where they live. Campaigns for the rights and legal status have been organized that recog-nize their role in fisheries. France is the leading example in the fight for rights, followed by Italy, the Netherlands, Ire-land and Greece. Subsequently, wom-en‘s organizations with various purposes were established, primarily focused on providing training courses for women (in Finland, Italy, Portugal, UK), so they could better perform their activities in the fisheries and find jobs in other eco-nomic sectors.

The initiatives undertaken by these asso-ciations differ in the different countries according to the specific existing prob-lems. For some of them the safety at sea is important, the psychological support of fishermen and their families in case of accident at sea, improving working con-ditions.

The role that women‘s associations play in the Regional Advisory Council for Fish-eries (RACF) is also in the centre of the interest of many organizations (in Por-

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tugal, Ireland, Sweden, UK and Italy). A transnational network was created to make room for participation in the RACF for the North Sea. Thus, women‘s or-ganizations began playing a role in the fisheries management politics. Some of them have earned their participation in the executive committees (Portugal, Ita-ly and the UK), others in working groups. This participation has proved somewhat problematic, mostly for financial rea-sons, since membership in RACF is rel-atively expensive and women‘s organ-izations generally depend on voluntary contributions.

Among the truly active are the organi-zations from Galicia, Spain, balers for various types of shellfish (mariscadoras) and masters of nets (rederas), who strive to convert their unregulated activities into profession and have managed to convince regional authorities to provide them support. The professionalization of collecting mussels will give them a sta-tus first, and second it will provide them with the opportunity to better manage the supply of their products.

Organizations representing wives in the fisheries sector act independently of men’s organizations on a voluntary ba-sis. Independent organizations exist at all levels - from local to European – and the network AKTEA functions as a union, which represents all women‘s organiza-tions in the sector at European Union level. For all these associations a ma-jor problem is the lack of funding. This applies even to the mariscadoras and

rederas, although they are members of the cofradias-professional organizations representing the small-scale fishermen. Studies have shown that local organi-zations do better thanks to the small amounts they receive from the local au-thorities, while regional, national and European fight for their survival. The membership fee can hardly provide for their activities.

Experience shows that organizations pro-tecting the interests and rights of pro-fessional women and managing resourc-es succeed in maintaining their level of activity. They also face problems, albeit of a different character; the most com-mon are the environmental problems and illegal practices.

Nevertheless, Europe considers women‘s organizations in the fisheries sector as a valuable partner, which is a new voice in the policy process and which boosts their confidence in their own strengths.

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Tips for policy making;

The main European texts that address the role of women in the fisheries sec-tor are the provisions of the European Fisheries Fund (2007-2013) and the Euro-pean Maritime and Fisheries Fund (2014-2020).

Based on the Regulation, the Member States have developed strategic plans and operational programs for the im-plementation of EFF. In line with the guidelines for the operational programs the goal was “promoting gender balance in various stages of the implementation of the operational program through op-erations, specifically aimed at reducing gender-based segregation on the labor market” (Article 19 (i).

According to the interim evaluation of EFF, it made “neutral or marginally pos-itive contribution” to the promotion of equal opportunities between men and women. This is probably due to the fact that women did not play an active role in the consultations and the process of decision-making, which means that their interests were not taken into account. Even in Member States where women‘s organizations (generally dealing with gender equality issues) are involved in the development of strategic plans and operational programs, they have not ex-ercised real influence because of igno-rance of the real situation of women in the fisheries sector.

It is an important fact that organizations protecting the rights of women have seats on the monitoring committees in

only 11 Member States. According to the assessment, the actual inclusion of the equality issue was not successful be-cause it was not an objective of any of the axes (Ernst and Young, 2011, p. 11), nor was it used as a criterion in the se-lection of projects for funding.

Nevetheless, some progress has been made. In Portugal and Sweden for exam-ple many Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) have announced their work plans in the direction of equality between women and men. This is one of the ob-jectives of the Spanish FLAG’s and they hope to achieve their goal through the development of women entrepreneur-ship and providing support to women‘s organizations.

Special attention should be given to the key role played by the European Fish-eries Areas Network (FARNET) for com-munity-led local development, which combines proactive fisheries groups, managing authorities and experts from across the European Union. It put the inclusion of the issue of equality on the agenda of several transnational organi-zations by organizing workgroups on the role of women and through presenta-tions of projects, implemented by wom-en during its conferences. It also created a discussion forum for women in the sec-tor on its Internet site.

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Providing capital to start own business, using catch as a raw material.

Provision of capital to start own busi-ness using catch as raw material can be secured in two main ways - through the loans of financial institution and with the help of funds targeting the sector.

The Program for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (PMAF) aims to achieve a dy-namic, sustainable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture in the period 2014-2020 and provides grants of 50% to 100% of the business initiatives depend-ing on the chosen procedure.

Funds can be recieved through the fol-lowing measures:

Measure 1.1: suitable for investments on board of the vessels, fishing tourism, restaurants, environmental services re-lated to fisheries, etc.

Applicants under this measure could be:

• Persons registered under the Com-mercial Law operating in the fisher-ies sector.

• Persons registered under the Law on Cooperatives operating in the fish-eries sector.

Under this measure you can receive fi-nancing for investments, leading to im-proved competitiveness and viability of the enterprises in the fisheries sector, in-cluding small-scale coastal fleet and im-proving safety and working conditions.

Expenses for investment on board of the vessels, fishing tourism, restaurants; en-vironmental services, fishing and educa-

tional activities in the field of fisheries are recognized according the program.

The total budget of the grant according to the procedure is 1.5 million levs. The maximum co-financing rate is 50% -80%.

Measure 2.1 appropriate for technical innovations in aquaculture, innovation promoting sustainable use of resources, introduction of new, sustainable produc-tion methods, etc.


• Persons registered under the Com-mercial Law or the Law on Coopera-tives operating in “Aquaculture”

• Scientific and technical organiza-tions.

This measure aims at introducing pro-cess innovation and will support the acquisition of scientific and technical knowledge, striving to develop and in-troduce new and significantly improved products, new aquaculture species with good market potential, new or improved processes, new or improved manage-ment systems and organization.

Financial assistance under this meas-ure should contribute to strengthening of the technological development and knowledge transfer. It will enable scien-tific research authorities / institutes to develop their knowledge in the field of aquaculture in practice; will accelerate the track of their results to the business-es, and they will be able to benefit more easily from the achievements of science and directly apply them in practice. Im-plementation of innovative approach-

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es, processes, products will diversify production, it will increase revenues/ reduce costs and fully optimize the pro-duction processes, management and sale of production.

To reduce the risk of failure of an inno-vative idea, it will finance the study of the technical and economic feasibility of innovative products and processes.

Under this measure expenses for tech-nical innovation in aquaculture aimed at reducing environmental impact; in-novation to promote sustainable use of resources, to facilitate the introduction of new, sustainable production meth-ods, including of locally adapted tech-nologies for breeding of new promising species and developing technologies to produce products with high biological value; studies of the technical and eco-nomic feasibility of innovative products and processes will be recognized.

The total amount of the grant is 1 mil-lion lev. The maximum co-financing rate is 100%

Measure 2.2: a suitable investment for diversification of activities and the reared species, modernization of farms, including the purchase of equipment for protection of the property, etc.


• Legal entities registered under the Commercial Law or the Law on Co-operatives, as candidates must suit the following requirements:

• to be registered as producers of fish and other aquatic organisms

under Art. 25 LFA, in cases when the supported entities are exist-ing operating farms;

• to be registered under Art. 137 of the Animal Health Law (AHL) - where the subject of support are existing farms;

• To qualify for micro, small or me-dium enterprise according SMEA and Annex I of Regulation (EU) № 651/2014 or to have a staff of less than 750 employees or with turnover below 200 million. Euros, if they are enterpriceses that do not fall within the defi-nitions of the above-mentioned laws and regulations.

Part of the activities provided for in the measure “Productive investments in aq-uaculture”, aimed at modernization of the facilities and diversification of the income of aquaculture enterprises, in-cluding improving safety working condi-tions, in particularly small and medium enterprises.

Eligible activities will include:

1. Productive investments in aquacul-ture, including production of fry

2. Diversification of production of aq-uaculture and farmed species;

3. Modernization of aquaculture farms, including the improvement of working conditions and safety for workers in the sector;

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4. Improving and modernization, re-lated to animal health and welfare, including the purchase of equip-ment to protect the farms from wild predators;

5. Investments, reducing negative im-pact or enhancing positive impact on the environment and the im-provement of resource efficiency;

6. Investments in improving the qual-ity and value added products from aquaculture;

7. Investments, leading to significant reduction of the impact of aqua-culture enterprises on consumption and water quality, in particular by reducing the use of water or chem-icals, antibiotics and other medic-inal products or by improving the quality of wastewater, including by developing of multi-trophic aqua-culture systems; (Polyculture of aq-uaculture);

8. Promoting closed aquaculture sys-tems where aquaculture products grown in closed recirculating sys-tems, thereby minimizing water consumption;

9. Investments in improving energy efficiency and promoting the pas-sage of aquaculture enterprises to renewable sources of energy (the permitted level of the installation capacity should not be greater than consumption, which is necessary for the project);

10. The income diversification of the aquaculture enterprises through the development of additional activities related to the main activity of the enterprise in aquaculture, including fishing tourism, aquaculture envi-ronmental services or educational activities on aquaculture.

Eligible costs are:

• Construction works;

• Purchasing new machinery and equipment (including computer equipment), equipment and other, directly associated with the pro-posed investment, including the costs of implementing the supply, installation, testing and commis-sioning of the equipment,machines, plant;

• Specialized warehouse equipment and warehouse vehicles servicing farm (electric trucks and forklifts, towing equipment, pallet trucks and refrigerated containers);

• Purchasing know-how, patent rights and licenses necessary for the preparation and / or execution of the project proposal;

• Purchasing software, including the cost of delivery, installation, testing and commissioning;

• Preparation of the project, engi-neering researches, evaluations, analysis and preparation of techni-cal and / or technological project;

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technological project should be written by a specialist with educa-tion corresponding to the specifics of the technology;

• Purchasing land that is directly re-lated to the project, in amount of 10% of total eligible project costs;

• Investments in renewable energy sources (RES) to produce heat and / or electricity, necessary and direct-ly related to the project;

• Service vessels that serve and are directly related to the implementa-tion of the project;

• Introducing systems for quality con-trol, safe working conditions and environmental protection and wa-ter and achieving compliance with internationally recognized stand-ards;

• Businesses retail sales of own pro-duced aquaculture production in the aquaculture farms;

• Training of the staff engaged in pro-duction activities directly linked to the investment;

• Facilities and / or equipment to improve safety and working condi-tions;

• Cost of independent construction and author supervision and invest-ment control;

• Vehicles meeting the capacity and the needs of the economy related to the improvement of production;

The total amount of the grant procedure is 18.872 million levs, including:

• sector “Small Projects” - 2 million levs;

• sector “Recirculating Systems” and “Development of new and expan-sion and modernization of existing aquaculture farms” - 16.872 million levs.

The financial assistance under this meas-ure amounts to 50% of total eligible costs for activities.

• The maximum allowable grant to a beneficiary under measure 2.2 “Pro-ductive investments in aquaculture” for the whole programming period is 1.4 million levs.

Sector “Small Projects”

• The minimum allowable grant is 3,000 levs.

• The maximum allowable grant is 48 895 levs.

• The maximum allowable grant for the whole programming period for a beneficiary is 97,790 levs.

Sector “Recirculating Systems”

• The minimum allowable grant is 48 895 levs.


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Sector “Construction of new and expan-sion and modernization of existing aqua-culture farms”

• The minimum allowable grant is 30 000 levs.


Measure 5.4: suitable for farm modern-ization including the purchase of equip-ment to protect farm, investments to improve the quality or value added, re-storing ponds used for aquaculture, etc.

Applicants under this measure could be::

• Legal entities registered under the Commercial Law or the Law on Co-operatives, as candidates must suit the following requirements:

• to be registered under Art. 12 of the Food Law and to be entered in the register of BAFS – in sector “Fish products” - only for exist-ing enterpriceses;

• to be entered in the Commercial Register to the Registry Agency;

• to qualify for micro, small or me-dium enterprise according SMEA and Annex I of Regulation (EU) № 651/2014;

• to be registered as producers of fish and other aquatic organisms under Art. 25 LFA - in cases when supported objects are existing or new companies that process their own aquaculture;

• to have issued “permit commer-cial fishing” and Certificate of eligibility for utilization of fish-eries resources and other aquat-ic organisms when supported objects are existing or new com-panies that process their own catch;

• to be registered under Art. 137 AHL - when supported objects are existing or new created com-panies that process their own aquaculture.

The implementation of measure “Pro-cessing of fisheries and aquaculture prod-ucts” should contribute to promoting investments, adding value to the prod-ucts through subsequent treatment/pro-cessing. EMFF (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) can support investments in the processing of fishery and aquacul-ture products, when these investments:

• Contribute to the realization of energy savings or reduce the im-pact on the environment, including waste treatment;

• Improve safety, hygiene, health and working conditions;

• Are associated with the processing of by-products that result from the main activities of processing;

• Are associated with the processing of products of organic aquaculture under Articles 6 and 7 of Regulation (EC) № 834/2007;

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• lead to new or improved products, new or improved processes, or new or improved management and or-ganizational systems.

Eligible costs are:

• Construction works;

• Purchasing new machinery and equipment (including computer equipment), equipment and other, directly associated with the pro-posed investment, including the costs of implementing the supply, in-stallation, testing and commission-ing of the equipment (machines), plant, including the acquired under finance leases

• Specialized warehouse equipment and specialized vehicles meeting the capacity and needs of the en-terprise to improve the production, including acquired under finance leases;

• Purchasing know-how, patent rights and licenses necessary for the preparation and / or execution of the project proposal;

• Purchasing software, including the cost of delivery, installation, test-ing and commissioning (including acquired under finance leases);

• Preparation of project, engineering researches, evaluations, analysis and preparation of technical and / or technological project; tech-nological project should be writ-ten by a specialist with education corresponding to the specifics of the technology, if the applicant has conducted the relevant procedure under the terms and conditions of the normative act under Art. 54 of ZUSESIF;

• Purchase of land that is directly re-lated to the foreseen investment and amounted to 10 percent of to-tal eligible project costs under the conditions in art. 20 of CMD 119;

• Investments in RES to produce heat and / or electricity, necessary and directly related to the production activities of the applicant, includ-ing acquired under finance leases;

• Implementation of quality control systems, safe working conditions and environmental and waters pro-tection and achieving compliance with internationally recognized standards - up to 1 percent of the investment value;

• Training of the staff engaged in pro-duction activities directly linked to the investment - up to 1 percent of the value of the investment;

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• Investments in treatment facilities for wastewater and equipment re-lated to environmental protection, including acquired under finance leases;

• Supply, installation, testing and commissioning of:

• facilities and / or waste process-ing equipment - use of waste from the processing for the pro-duction of animal by-product;

• equipment to improve quali-ty, safety, storage capacity and traceability of products;

• facilities and / or equipment to improve safety and working con-ditions;

The total grant amount of the procedure is 10 million lev. The minimum amount of grant per project is 20 000 levs.

• The maximum grant per project is one million levs;

• The maximum allowable grant per beneficiary under the measure 5.4 “Processing of fisheries and aqua-culture products” for the whole programming period is 1.4 million levs.

Banks have also started lending under the Operational Programme “Fisheries” 2007-2013 at attractive conditions. The initiative is entirely geared towards the financing of projects for small and medi-um enterprises in the “Fisheries” sector and seeks to enable businesses launch new productions and modernize. The supply of bank loans to small businesses in the sector has expanded in the cur-rent programming period 2014-2020.

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7. EnCOURAGInGACTIvITyInTHEwORk oF ASSoCIAtIonS AnD CS AnD THELIFEPLATFORm

The objective of the LIFE platform is to announce a clear and strong opinion of the majority of the European small-scale fishermen at EU level. It has al-ready achieved the recognition that it is of crucial significance that small-scale fishermen have specific and focused rep-resentation to affirm their cause, ensure long-term sustainability and the survival of their activities. The efficient and fo-cused presence at EU level is an impor-tant part of this approach.

The LIFE platform not only speaks on behalf of its members in Brussels, but it also helps them in their direct com-munication at all levels. With its estab-lishment, they send a petition to the EU decision-makers to preserve their com-munities, their heritage and lifestyle. The main message is that the Common Fisheries Policy must cease fishing, which is not sustainable and place in the center of Europe‘s future the small-scale fisher-men with low environmental impact.

The small-scale fisheries platform wants to overcome an injustice. Since the adoption of the Common Fisheries Poli-cy its framework is unbalanced and un-fair in its essence: a huge share of the fishing quotas and the EU subsidies go to large-scale fishing operators throughout Europe and increase the fishing capac-

ity of the deep-sea fishing fleet. Thus, small-scale fishermen are marginalized and lose their business. At the same time large vessels use short-term contracts and unskilled labor and provide benefits to local communities, while small-scale fishermen lose their jobs or are forced to seek additional sources of income.

The LIFE platform stands for:

• Fishing rights should be given to those who use sustainable practic-es. They are convinced that access to fish must be linked to the per-formance of individual fishermen based on environmental, social and economic criteria. They struggle for the rewarding of fishermen whose work has a sustainable effect with minimal by-catch, high level of em-ployment versus the volume of the harvest and weak dependance on subsidies and fuel. Small-scale fish-ermen expect the policy to recog-nize that the quota (fishing rights) is a public good, not private prop-erty and to provide opportunities in a way that promotes sustaina-ble fishing methods. They object to the transferable fishing methods - a system they believe effectively pri-vatizes access and can consolidate marine resources in the hands of a small number of powerful players.

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• Reduction of over-capacity where it was formed and preservation of jobs in small-scale fisheries. It is estimated that the fleet of Europe puts pressure on the fish stocks, exceeding two or three times the level of sustainability. Small-scale fishermen believe that over-capac-ity must be detailed and assessed against the state of fish stocks. They call on the Member States to urgently take action to reduce the fishing capacity in the presence of excessive over-capacity and not to exceed the sustainable levels of pressure. Furthermore, they de-mand regional plans for fisheries management. Most of all, they em-phasize the need to catch less fish at European level, but not to the detriment of those fishermen who use sustainable practices. The mes-sage is quality at the expense of the quantity: to fish less, but smarter.

• Ending the harmful subsidies and destructive practices. The Europe-an fishing fleet receives millions of euro in the form of subsidies each year. The members of the platform believe that much of this money is spent on destructive and sometimes even illegal fishing operations. In their opinion all European fisher-

men must strictly follow the regu-lations. Fishing vessels or operators caught in illegal fishing should not receive future subsidies. Each year in the Northeast Atlantic 1.3 million tons of fish is discarded from Eu-ropean fishing vessels. Small-scale fishermen demand a zero target discharge, backed by strict rules of selectivity, size and weight of the trawl, net for oysters and other mo-bile gear. In this way they believe the unwanted hearvest will be re-duced, along with the need for con-stantly increasing engine power.

• Restoring the vitality of the Europe-an seas. The fisheries management, according to the LIFE members, must take account of the various local and regional realities and put small-scale fishing in its core. The practical and traditional knowledge of the fishermen should be valued and their cooperation with state regulators, research institutes and advisory committees strengthened. They expect a significant strength-ening of the research activity on the state of fish stocks and measures for their recovery, including through larger funds from the EMFF.

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Small-scale fishermen want a small-er, but better catch. They want to leave waters populated by quality fish to their children.

Participation in the LIFE platform means becoming a part of a community that shares common values, goals and challenges of collaboration, leading the sector to a better future.

As a member of LIFE your organization becomes part of a European network of small-scale fishermen and will be supported by a professional team that is able to identify new opportunities.

The benefits for the members are active involvement in the process of Eu-ropean decision-making and obtaining topical information on the latest de-velopments at the institutional level, including policies and funds.

Membership is free in the year of your accession. After that the contribution is symbolic.

To become а member, you have to accept the mission statement of the plat-form and to go through the application process.

If you do not withdraw explicitly, your membership will be renewed auto-matically.

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8. COnCLUSIOn

A global consensus has been reached on the gender issues in the exercise of fundamental and labor rights. However, they have not been fully realized in the fisheries sector yet.

Fishing communities are gender divided and it is often up to the women to solve the problem of changing access to fish resources. However, public recognition of the role of women in fisheries is at an early stage both in the world and in the EU. These policies do not sufficiently take into account the non-economic and economic contribution of women to the welfare of fishing communities and fam-ilies. As the sector is still dominated by men, attention to the various roles that women perform in it is not sufficient for a real change to occur.

It is clear that there is no single or best way of empowering women and achiev-ing gender equality in fisheries. The re-search literature on the subject is scarce internationally and non-existent nation-wide. This hampers the design of meas-ures and management decisions based on evidence, especially in terms of the lack of statistical information and data on women in the sector.

This guide is the first attempt to fill the gaps and focus on the problems and op-portunities of women in the fishing busi-ness. It is primarily aimed at practicians, but it would also be useful for decision makers because it draws on lessons learned from real situations and analyz-es elsewhere in Europe and worldwide, and refers them to the specifics of the situation in Bulgaria and Romania. Тhe information that is placed in it is guid-ed by the logic of the value chain in the sector and by understanding of the chal-lenges and opportunities, arising from a more integrated approach.

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REFEREnCES

Katia Frangoudes. 2013. Women in fisheries: a European perspective. DG for internal policies. Fisheries.

Facts and figures on the Common Fishery Policy. Basic statistical data, 2016 edition.

Key Factors Supporting Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries Management. September 2013. Rockfeller Foundation.

Gender and Fisheries and Aquaculture. 2013. BMZ, Future-Makers, giz.

From Women in Fisheries to Gender in Fisheries. M.J. Williams, S.B. Williams, P.S. Choo

FAO, Fisheries and Aqualculture Circular. A Review of Women’s Access to fish in Small-Scale Fisheries. Angela Lentisco, Robert Ulric Lee. 2015, Rome

Mainstreaming gender into project cycle management in the fisheries sector. Field manual. 2011. M.C.Arenas and A. Lentesco. FAO, UN

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RESEARCHATEULEvEL

Counting Women’s Participation in EU Aquaculture

Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries post, May 2013. A new EU report on the Euro-pean Union member countries’ aquaculture sector contains some basic gender-dis-aggregated data on employment in the production segment of aquaculture.

Women in the EU Fish Processing Economy

Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries post, May 2013

EU 2011 employment statistics show that women and men are almost evenly bal-anced, in terms of numbers of fish processing jobs. Looking at different countries, however, the figures differ. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have more than 60% women fish processing employees, whereas Malta and the UK have more than 60% of men employees. In Europe, fish processing employs about 150,000 people. France, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom supported the largest workforces, with more than 10,000 each.

ICSF-AKTEA WIF 2010:Strengthening the voice of women of fishing communities in Europe

Cornelie Quist, Katia Frangoudes, Brian O’Riordan, Mai 2010, 55 p.

This report contains a summary of the workshop of 13/02/2010 about “Recasting the net: defining a gender agenda for sustaining life and livelihoods in fisheries and aquaculture” and the synthesis reports by countries: Azores (Portugal), France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland (UK), Portugal, Spain. French version of the workshop’s summary.

Women in fisheries: a European perspective

Katia Frangoudes, Policy Department B: Strucutral and Cohesion Policies, Fisheries, Note, 2013, 44 p.

This note gives an overview of the current situation faced by women in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Europe and the prerequisites for improved gender main-streaming. It presents and discusses the available data on female employment in the sector, the problems faced by women’s fisheries organisations and their future prospects. The note also proposes that the impact of the EFF on the promotion of gender equality should be evaluated, and outlines the expectations vested in the EMFF.

APPLICATIOn

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Women and fisheries: Contribution to food security and local economies

Sarah Harper, Dirk Zeller, Melissa Hauzer, Daniel Pauly, Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Marine Policy vol. 39, May 2013, p. 56-63.

The substantial role of women in fisheries is overlooked in management and policy. Fortunately, it is gaining recognition despite a lack of quantitative data describing the scale of participation and contribution. This work summarizes existing knowl-edge on women’s participation in marine fisheries globally, and estimates their contribution in the Pacific. While women’s role varies between geographic regions, in the Pacific, women account for 56% of annual small-scale catches, and resulting in an economic impact of 363 million USD (total revenue: 110 million USD). Recog-nizing and quantifying the role of women in fisheries has profound implications for management, poverty alleviation and development policy.

Women’s contribution in small-scale fisheries in the European Union

Katia Frangoudes, in World Small-scale fisheries contemporary visions, Ratana Chuenpagdee, 2011, chapter 6, p. 106-115.

In this chapter, the author presents the prominent role of women in income and livelihood diversification, and how legislation can facilitate or inhibit their contri-bution in European small-scale fisheries.

The role of the women in the sustainable development of european fisheries areas

Katia Frangoudes et al., Policy Department B, Structural and Cohesion Policies, Study, May 2008, 82 p.

Women play an important role in fisheries, including fishing, aquaculture and pro-cessing of aquatic products. They have been very active in self-organizing and net-working to promote gender equality in many different areas across Europe. They are also a major actor in the diversification of fisheries enterprises income, result-ing in the creation of new opportunities in fisheries areas affected by the decline of fishing. The report reviews best practices observed in the fishing areas of 14 EU countries. It also recommends actions for use of the European Fisheries Fund as an instrument to support and promote initiatives for women in European Fisheries Areas, particularly under axis 4 of the EFF.

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FRANCE

Maritime sectors: more women joining the ranks

Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe, n° 51, May 2011, p. 10-11.

In the collective imagination, maritime occupations have always been a male stronghold. Yet women’s role and status in maritime activities have evolved con-siderably over the last 20 years, whether in terms of legal status, access to jobs or visibility. Since 2009, the FEMMAR project at the University of Nantes has teamed up researchers from different disciplines to study the sociological, legal, economic and geographical processes related to these developments and to understand the paradoxes that sometimes result.

Women in Artisanal Fisheries in Brittany, France

Katia Frangoudes and Enora Keromnes, Development, n° 51, 2008, p. 265-270.

French fishers’ wives play an important role within fisheries enterprises by realizing different tasks such as administration, repairing fishing gear and selling fish. This informal contribution became legally recognized with the creation of collaborative spouse status (CSS) in 1998. Katia Frangoudes and Enora Keromnes discuss the di-verse contributions of women to Brittany fisheries and the reasons that push wom-en to opt or not opt for legal status.

IRELAND

Women as agents of wellbeing in Northern Ireland’s fishing households

Easkey Britton, Maritime Studies 2012, 22

This paper focuses on the gender dimensions of wellbeing in fishing households in Northern Ireland. The impact of change in the fishing industry on women’s wellbe-ing is outlined and linkages are made between changing access to fish and changing roles of women in fishing households. The paper explores what this change means for how women perceive and pursue their wellbeing needs and aspirations and how they negotiate their needs with the needs of the household. In an occupation as gender biased as fishing it is argued that in order for fisheries management and policy to be successful, a profile of what really matters to people is important. In particular, the paper highlights how such priorities link to the complex and dynamic role of women in fishing households.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Women as visible and invisible workers in fisheries: A case study of Northern England

Minghu Zhao, Marilyn Tyzack, Rodney Anderson, Estera Onoakpovike, Marine Policy, vol. 37, January 2013, p. 69-76.

This paper is based on an externally-funded research project on women’s roles and contributions in fisheries conducted in Northern England in 2010. The paper analyses some of the major roles played by women and their contribution in four selected sectors: capture fishing, families and communities, trading, processing and management/administration.

Women in fisheries – final report, 30 April 2010

IRIS & Greenwich Maritime Institute, [59] p.

Women play a wide range of roles in the fisheries industry making significant con-tributions across sectors. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge about women in English fisheries today, as identified in our literature review conducted at the early stage of this study. This study aims to help close this knowledge gap and to inform policy making with evidence-based information collected and analysed by the Women in Fisheries (WIF) Team from Greenwich Maritime Institute, The Univer-sity of Greenwich and IRIS Consulting between January and April, 2010.

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