Impact Stories

Growing a future from the sea

On Mafia Island, Tanzania, where tradition runs as deep as the ocean the coastal community protects and depends on, a new chapter is being written. In Kanga Village, the Hiari Women Group is stepping out of traditionally-defined roles, transforming their newly found skill for seaweed farming into a living evolution of their community’s heritage.

Working for greater representation of women in artisanal fisheries

"Like many women, I am several roles in a single person: mother, wife, housewife, worker, social leader, and micro-entrepreneur, but one of the most important, and I say this with great pride, is that I am a woman of the sea." Carmen Díaz Vargas, artisanal fisher, shipowner and diver's assistant, Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile.

One Voice, Many Islands

In the stillness of dawn, before the sun gilds the Pacific horizon, the ocean speaks. It speaks in the hush of waves against mangrove roots, in the rustle of pandanus leaves, in the chants of elders who remember the old ways. For the Indigenous Peoples of Oceania, the ocean is a living ancestor, a keeper of stories, a bearer of truth.

Community-led Science monitoring to support improved evidence-based resource management

For generations, communities in Solomon Islands have leveraged indigenous knowledge to manage marine resources. However, increased pressure on those resources stemming from climate change, overpopulation and overfishing have negatively impacted their health.

Managing fisheries together: How co-management gives fishers and their communities a say in their own future

One of the first issues that Barbara Orlando, president of the fisher cooperative in Porto Cesareo – a fishing village in the south of Italy – had to discuss when she joined the newly established co-management committee was the need for a reduction in fishing pressure in the local marine protected area (MPA), to allow depleted stocks to recover.

Putting back today to catch more tomorrow

In a small-scale scampi fishery, scientific research is supporting sustainable practices was a smart investment in the future of Croatia’s most iconic seafood.

SASI – How one community’s traditional wisdom in fisheries management sparked learning and replication in other islands

It was a sunny day — almost like any other — in the 1990s when Yustus Menarbu’s parents took him along with them to the sea. For Yustus, that day was special.

Save For Our Oceans’ sea of women

In the Solomon Islands, where 90% of men and half of all rural women are engaged in fisheries work, fish is naturally a primary source of nutrition. For most families, nearly 60% of all animal-based protein in their diet comes from the oceans. Hardly surprising, of course, when you consider that the Solomon Islands lie in the warm and productive seas of the Coral Triangle, where nutrient rich currents feed diverse coral reefs, which in turn supports over one-third of the world's reef fish species.

Setting a fishball rolling towards smarter seafood markets

WWF is working with small-scale fishers to create more value from their catches

Impact Stories

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