Artisanal fisheries can be very specialised but, in general,
target a very wide range of species, using a broad variety of
gears, generating diverse fishing strategies and flexibly
adapting to seasonal or inter-annual natural variability.
Importance of artisanal fisheries Artisanal fisheries are
important for many reasons. Globally, they produce about 50% of
the world capture fisheries' harvest used for human consumption
and as such contribute significantly to food security,
particularly in rural areas. They also provide significant
employment. Although available statistics are extremely poor,
FAO estimates indicate that there were close to 29 million
fishers - artisanal and industrial - in 1990 and that this
number has been holding steady since. Artisanal fishers
represent the lions' share - a guestimate would put the figure
at around 20 million. In addition, downstream industries and
support services generate possibly another 80 million jobs,
ensuring some livelihood for 200 million people (assuming a
ten-t