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Women are slowly becoming recognised as the backbone of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (Gopal et al. 2017). Researchers and women’s representative groups make the case that, from catch to consumer, gender matters and women must be... more
Women are slowly becoming recognised as the backbone of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (Gopal et al. 2017). Researchers and women’s representative groups make the case that, from catch to consumer, gender matters and women must be empowered, counted and given voice in decision making (Williams et al. 2018). The case for gender is based on evidence that: the fish sector benefits when women’s contributions are valued; gender-blind policies and data undermine women’s contributions; and society and the environment benefit when women are empowered. In developing areas where most of the world’s fish is now produced, fisheries and aquaculture are undergoing major transitions that increase the challenges to gender equality, and also offer opportunities. Women researchers and administrators have been at the forefront of gathering the evidence and making the case for gender sensitive policies and development interventions. Sometimes they have been joined and supported by their male col...
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This document contains the draft Chapter 6 of the IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Governments and all observers at IPBES-7 had access to these draft chapters eight weeks prior to IPBES-7. Governments... more
This document contains the draft Chapter 6 of the IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Governments and all observers at IPBES-7 had access to these draft chapters eight weeks prior to IPBES-7. Governments accepted the Chapters at IPBES-7 based on the understanding that revisions made to the SPM during the Plenary, as a result of the dialogue between Governments and scientists, would be reflected in the final Chapters.IPBES typically releases its Chapters publicly only in their final form, which implies a delay of several months post Plenary. However, in light of the high interest for the Chapters, IPBES is releasing the six Chapters early (31 May 2019) in a draft form. Authors of the reports are currently working to reflect all the changes made to the Summary for Policymakers during the Plenary to the Chapters, and to perform final copyediting.
The 7th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture & Fisheries (GAF7) was hosted by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), in Bangkok, from 18 to 21 October 2018. This was the first stand-alone event of the Gender in Aquaculture &... more
The 7th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture & Fisheries (GAF7) was hosted by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), in Bangkok, from 18 to 21 October 2018. This was the first stand-alone event of the Gender in Aquaculture & Fisheries Section (GAF Section) of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), and saw 149 experts, researchers and practitioners deliberate on 95 research papers and nine special workshops. Participants came from 28 countries representing Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Australia, South America and the Caribbean
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The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), generated out of the preparations for and conduct of the 1992 United Nations Conference for Environment and Development, was adopted by FAO Members on 31 October 1995. In the... more
The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), generated out of the preparations for and conduct of the 1992 United Nations Conference for Environment and Development, was adopted by FAO Members on 31 October 1995. In the Resolution adopting the Code, FAO member countries (MCs) also requested that FAO Secretariat provided support to those among them, that most required assistance for making progress in the implementation of the Code.
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In the 1980s and 1990s, there was widespread belief among en-vironmentalists and lay people that uncontrolled population growth was responsible for environmental degradation of all types. This neo-Malthusian belief originally surfaced in... more
In the 1980s and 1990s, there was widespread belief among en-vironmentalists and lay people that uncontrolled population growth was responsible for environmental degradation of all types. This neo-Malthusian belief originally surfaced in the pub-lication of The Population Bomb by Ehrlich and Ehrlich in the late 1960s, which interpreted the unprecedented high growth rate experienced in that decade in an alarmist tone (1–3). In ensuing years this belief, combined with work on carrying capacity and a growing environmental movement, led to the seemingly commonsense conclusion that high growth, and high fertility in particular, are destructive for the environment. The rhetoric of-ten is shrill (see various Worldwatch Institute publications in the 1990s), and extends beyond academia and the NGO sectors (4). Scientific research, however, has not shown a definitive link between population growth or size and environmental decline.
More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention... more
More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention especially in aquaculture and fisheries. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) of the United Nations 2010/11 flagship report on the State of Food and Agriculture highlighted the gender gap in agriculture and estimated that raising women’s farm productivity by 20-30% could lift 100-150 million people out of poverty. Held as part of the 9 Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum at Shanghai Ocean University from 21 to 23 April 2011, the 3 Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF3) of the Asian Fisheries Society shone a light on the gender gap in the fish sector. This, the Society’s fifth women/gender symposium, attracted a record number of papers and stimulated lively discussions. It was followed by a FAO Special Workshop on Futur...
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Society has agreed on the goal of sustainable fisheries but achieving the goal is often submerged by more immediate national and international demands causing fisheries to slip down the political agenda or diverting attention to other... more
Society has agreed on the goal of sustainable fisheries but achieving the goal is often submerged by more immediate national and international demands causing fisheries to slip down the political agenda or diverting attention to other fisheries issues, e.g., profitability under high fuel prices. Among the problems challenging marine capture fisheries are increasing demands for fish, uncertainty from overfishing and illegal fishing, competition for resources among different fisheries gears and methods, degrading and climate-affected ecosystems, depleted fish stocks, economic rent drains and social hardships. Solutions to these challenges, however, are available for some fisheries. Even when solutions are available, the blockages to the transition to sustainable fisheries are information failures, transition costs, use and nonuse conflicts and the capacity to implement and enforce management. This paper discusses how fisheries experts can help make the case for the transition to susta...
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At both the micro and macro-economic level, the impact of the fisheries economy is deeply gendered — a problem that must be addressed through explicit, affirmative action. The economy is the most significant factor in how the fish sector... more
At both the micro and macro-economic level, the impact of the fisheries economy is deeply gendered — a problem that must be addressed through explicit, affirmative action. The economy is the most significant factor in how the fish sector operates. When considering how economic events affect fisheries, gender impacts are rarely examined, even though many impacts are gender sensitive. Our current state of knowledge merely hints at the gendered impacts of the economy. This has to change; economic arguments must be added to the social agenda for gender equality in fisheries.
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More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention... more
More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention especially in aquaculture and fisheries. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) of the United Nations 2010/11 flagship report on the State of Food and Agriculture highlighted the gender gap in agriculture and estimated that raising women’s farm productivity by 20-30% could lift 100-150 million people out of poverty. Held as part of the 9 Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum at Shanghai Ocean University from 21 to 23 April 2011, the 3 Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF3) of the Asian Fisheries Society shone a light on the gender gap in the fish sector. This, the Society’s fifth women/gender symposium, attracted a record number of papers and stimulated lively discussions. It was followed by a FAO Special Workshop on Futur...
While there is much debate on transformative change among academics and policymakers, the discussion on how to govern such change is still in its infancy. This article argues that transformative governance is needed to enable the... more
While there is much debate on transformative change among academics and policymakers, the discussion on how to govern such change is still in its infancy. This article argues that transformative governance is needed to enable the transformative change necessary for achieving global sustainability goals. Based on a literature review, the article unpacks this concept of transformative governance. It is: integrative, to ensure local solutions also have sustainable impacts elsewhere (across scales, places, issues and sectors); inclusive, to empower those whose interests are currently not being met and represent values embodying transformative change for sustainability; adaptive, enabling learning, experimentation, and reflexivity, to cope with the complexity of transformative change; and pluralist, recognizing different knowledge systems. We argue that only when these four governance approaches are: implemented in conjunction; operationalized in a specific manner; and focused on addressing the indirect drivers underlying sustainability issues, governance becomes transformative.
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More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention... more
More than 30 years after the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination on the basis of gender and its consequences for society is still struggling for mainstream attention especially in aquaculture and fisheries. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) of the United Nations 2010/11 flagship report on the State of Food and Agriculture highlighted the gender gap in agriculture and estimated that raising women’s farm productivity by 20-30% could lift 100-150 million people out of poverty. Held as part of the 9 Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum at Shanghai Ocean University from 21 to 23 April 2011, the 3 Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF3) of the Asian Fisheries Society shone a light on the gender gap in the fish sector. This, the Society’s fifth women/gender symposium, attracted a record number of papers and stimulated lively discussions. It was followed by a FAO Special Workshop on Futur...
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China's 13th Five-Year Plan, launched in March 2016, provides a sound policy platform for the protection of marine ecosystems and the restoration of capture fisheries within China's exclusive economic zone. What distinguishes... more
China's 13th Five-Year Plan, launched in March 2016, provides a sound policy platform for the protection of marine ecosystems and the restoration of capture fisheries within China's exclusive economic zone. What distinguishes China among many other countries striving for marine fisheries reform is its size-accounting for almost one-fifth of global catch volume-and the unique cultural context of its economic and resource management. In this paper, we trace the history of Chinese government priorities, policies, and outcomes related to marine fisheries since the 1978 Economic Reform, and examine how the current leadership's agenda for "ecological civilization" could successfully transform marine resource management in the coming years. We show how China, like many other countries, has experienced a decline in the average trophic level of its capture fisheries during the past few decades, and how its policy design, implementation, and enforcement have influenced t...
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In producing the AFS Special Issue, we felt a mix of optimism and pessimism: pleasure because of the breadth and depth of the knowledge presented, optimism because of emerging interest in gender in aquaculture and fisheries, and pessimism... more
In producing the AFS Special Issue, we felt a mix of optimism and pessimism: pleasure because of the breadth and depth of the knowledge presented, optimism because of emerging interest in gender in aquaculture and fisheries, and pessimism because gender in aquaculture and fisheries research has not progressed as strongly or as rapidly as it should. Despite the evidence that women play large, though undervalued, and functionally critical roles in fish supply chains, the slow progress in advancement of women reflects a global lack of priority and resources, evident also in Asia, to women and gender issues.
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Sangeeta Mangubhai’s presentation Gender-disaggregated impacts of a Category 5 cyclone on rural fisher communities in Fiji’, concerned Cyclone Winston’s impacts (February 2016). In quantifying the impact, Mangubhai and colleagues paid... more
Sangeeta Mangubhai’s presentation Gender-disaggregated impacts of a Category 5 cyclone on rural fisher communities in Fiji’, concerned Cyclone Winston’s impacts (February 2016). In quantifying the impact, Mangubhai and colleagues paid attention to women’s as well as men’s fishing and assets before and after the cyclone, estimating gear loss and livelihood and subsistence reliance on fishing. The study found large differences in the financial losses and damages to boats and engines across districts and provinces, based on their locations in relation to the cyclone. Compared to men, women were more involved in subsistence fishing, owned more of the simple gear types such as hooks and lines, and suffered greater total gear losses. Yet, despite these insights, government and development agencies made little effort to ensure that both women and men had equitable access to the fishing gear that was provided after the cyclone. Local food security was affected due to the loss or reduction o...
1 This article was first published as a Guest Editorial in a special issue of the journal Asian Fisheries Science [Gopal N., Williams M.J., Porter M., Kusakabe K. and Choo P.S. 2014. Guest editorial: Gender in aquaculture and fisheries –... more
1 This article was first published as a Guest Editorial in a special issue of the journal Asian Fisheries Science [Gopal N., Williams M.J., Porter M., Kusakabe K. and Choo P.S. 2014. Guest editorial: Gender in aquaculture and fisheries – Navigating change. Asian Fisheries Science Special Issue 27S:1–14.]. It is reproduced here with their kind authorisation. 2 Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, CIFT Jn., Matsyapuri P.O., Cochin – 682 029, Kerala, India 3 17 Agnew Street, Aspley, Queensland, 4034, Australia 4 Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Canada NL A1C 2Z1 5 Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand 6 147 Cangkat Delima Satu, Island Glades, 11700 Penang, Malaysia * Corresponding author: nikiajith@gmail.com A Special Issue of Asian Fisheries Science journal has been published, which includes 20 papers and a report based on the p...
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1. 17 Agnew Street, Aspley, Queensland, 4034. Australia. 2. Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Canada NL A1C 2Z1. 3. 147 Cangkat Delima Satu, Island Glades, 11700 Penang, Malaysia. 4. Gender and Development Studies,... more
1. 17 Agnew Street, Aspley, Queensland, 4034. Australia. 2. Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Canada NL A1C 2Z1. 3. 147 Cangkat Delima Satu, Island Glades, 11700 Penang, Malaysia. 4. Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand. 5. Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao GU 96923 USA. 6. Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, CIFT Jn., Matsyapuri P.O., Cochin – 682 029, Kerala, India. 7. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Food and Agriculture Organization, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.
Research Interests: Aquaculture and Fishery
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What are the challenges in the path of achieving gender equality in fisheries and what should our priorities be? This article tries to identify these in the context of SDG 5, the Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality.
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1 17 Agnew Street, Aspley, Queensland, 4034, Australia. Email: meryljwilliams@gmail.com 2 See: www.asianfisheriessociety.org 3 See: www.asiapacfish.org 4 See: www.asiapacfish.org/index.php/species/item/5-skipjack-tuna 5 See:... more
1 17 Agnew Street, Aspley, Queensland, 4034, Australia. Email: meryljwilliams@gmail.com 2 See: www.asianfisheriessociety.org 3 See: www.asiapacfish.org 4 See: www.asiapacfish.org/index.php/species/item/5-skipjack-tuna 5 See: www.fishwatch.gov 6 See: http://iss-foundation.org/ Over the last two decades, the Asian Fisheries Society2 has stood out among mainstream fisheries and aquaculture professional societies by hosting women and/or gender and fisheries events and publishing symposia proceedings (Williams et al. 2012). Therefore, when the Society began developing an online system profiling Asia-Pacific key fisheries and aquaculture species — AsiaPacific-FishWatch3 — it determined that the social dimension of the value chains, including gender, should be addressed in the species profiles. The first full pilot species has now been completed — skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis4) — and the preparation of the species profile reveals some of the challenges of social and gender information.
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Visseren-Hamakers, I.J. et al. (2021). While there is much debate on transformative change among academics and policymakers, the discussion on how to govern such change is still in its infancy. This article argues that transformative... more
Visseren-Hamakers, I.J. et al. (2021). While there is much debate on transformative change among academics and policymakers, the discussion on how to govern such change is still in its infancy. This article argues that transformative governance is needed to enable the transformative change necessary for achieving global sustainability goals. Based on a literature review, the article unpacks this concept of transformative governance. It is: integrative, to ensure local solutions also have sustainable impacts elsewhere (across scales, places, issues and sectors); inclusive, to empower those whose interests are currently not being met and represent values embodying transformative change for sustainability; adaptive, enabling learning, experimentation, and reflexivity, to cope with the complexity of transformative change; and pluralist, recognizing different knowledge systems. We argue that only when these four governance approaches are: implemented in conjunction; operationalized in a ...
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... eg Pecten maximus (Mason 1957; Gruffydd 1974). Patinopectin caurinus (Haynes and Hitz 1971), Mytilus edulis (Theisen 1973), Chlamys opercularis (Broom 1976; Taylor and Venn 1978) and Cerastoderma edule ( Jones 1979). ...
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ABSTRACT Food handling by the mud crab S. serrata is described. Each of the dimorphic chelae of S. serrata performs specific functions in the opening of shells of the mussel Trichomya hirsuta.
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"Global-scale changes in the supply, demand, value, management and uses of fisheries resources could threaten progress towards sustainable food security in many parts of the developing world, but they could also stimulate improved... more
"Global-scale changes in the supply, demand, value, management and uses of fisheries resources could threaten progress towards sustainable food security in many parts of the developing world, but they could also stimulate improved management and use of the resources. Decisionmakers are searching for better ways of managing all fisheries, including small-scale ones. "This policy brief addresses some of the issues and options available, arguing that recent lessons point to potential benefits in some fisheries from management partnerships between the government and local fishers and communities - fisheries co-management. The trend to greater formal involvement of users in management of resources was recognized in many chapters of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Agenda 21 Declaration and are enshrined in such international instruments as the International Convention on Biological Diversity ratified in 1993. This policy brief cautions, howev...
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... 168 MERYL J. WILLIAMS and Zostera and the small amount of these plants in the gut contents suggests accidental ... Stomach contents of Portunus pelagicus (Linn.) from AD net catches. ... Methods for analysis of natural diet in... more
... 168 MERYL J. WILLIAMS and Zostera and the small amount of these plants in the gut contents suggests accidental ... Stomach contents of Portunus pelagicus (Linn.) from AD net catches. ... Methods for analysis of natural diet in porlunid crabs (Crustacea : Decapoda : Por-tunidae). ...
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Williams, M.J. 1996 The transition in the contribution of living aquatic resources to food security. International Food Policy Research Institute: Food Agriculture and the Environment Discussion Paper No 13, 41pp. (An edited version of this paper also appeared in the special 10th Anniversary publ...more
Global changes in living aquatic resources could threaten progress towards sustainable food security in many parts of the developing world, but they could also stimulate improved use of living aquatic resources. Some of the outcomes... more
Global changes in living aquatic resources could threaten progress towards sustainable food security in many parts of the developing world, but they could also stimulate improved use of living aquatic resources. Some of the outcomes depend upon actions taken today. Human impacts have already transformed the Earth’s terrestrial environment and may well have changed the global atmosphere. Now we have evidence that the inexorable collision of natural resource limite, demography, technology and social values has triggered global change in aquatic ecosystems and their living resources. Users in fisheries, aquacutlure and related enterprises face a period of formidable transition as they have to adjust to the changes and an uncertain future outlook. The transition period in a complex system, however, is the time when actions, even small ones, can have the greatest impact. This paper addresses the outlook for living aquatic resources in food security and how research can contribute to impr...
This Special Issue of Asian Fisheries Science journal includes a comprehensive outlook Guest Editorial and 12 papers and a report based on the presentations and posters of the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries... more
This Special Issue of Asian Fisheries Science journal includes a comprehensive outlook Guest Editorial and 12 papers and a report based on the presentations and posters of the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF5) held during the 10th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, November 2014, Lucknow, India.