Fisheries are vital for the economy and for the livelihoods of coastal communities. They have cultural values and play an important role in social organization. However, poor management can overlook fishers’ roles and can lead to the loss of food sovereignty and cultural identity. According to Via Campesina, food sovereignty is the “right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems” (Sélingué, 2007).

This introduction was written by Michael Fabinyi.