The Fisheye

“Fish is the perfect protein” says Oceana Chief Policy Officer, Jacqueline Savitz. We couldn’t agree more. And nothing makes us happier than seeing this, and the rationale for why, shared in a recent article in Forbes — a publication primarily focused on business, finance, and investment. It’s not your typical environmental magazine. And that’s because empowering sustainable fisheries is as much an effort to address food security and livelihoods as it is about environmental protection.

Historias de pesca: René Jara (Versión en Español más abajo) René Jara, also known as "Patolín", was born in Duao, a fishing cove in the Maule region of Chile. He began fishing when he was 15, and now — at 28 — he’s an expert in the art, catching hake, squid, crab, and elephant fish among other species. For René, fishing runs in the family: he credits his father for teaching him everything he knows.

Pedro is a fisher from Chorrillos, a coastal area on the Southern outskirts of Lima in Peru. For Pedro, fishing is a lifestyle: his dad taught him how to fish at age 13, and he started fishing with his uncles at age 14, almost thirty years ago. He has made his living from the ocean ever since. Fishing for swordfish, mahi mahi, and other species up to one hundred miles from the coast, Pedro is intimately familiar with the ocean and ports across Lima Municipality.

(Versión en Español más abajo) As part of Future or Fish’s response to COVID-19 in Peru, two things became clear: mobility restrictions were severely hindering logistics, and demand had dropped significantly. In a matter of weeks, COVID-19 had changed the way people access and consume seafood in Peru — a pattern experienced by seafood supply chains globally.

Fishers are essential workers, but what happens when they don’t have the gear they need to work safely in a pandemic? This week, Future of Fish launches a new campaign in partnership with fishers from La Islilla, Peru, to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to the fishers and seafood workers who need it most.