New index maps vulnerability to conflict between fishing sectors

What you need to know

• The SIFI index covers 126 coastal countries. It combines indicators of fisheries-sector exposure with measures of how important small-scale fisheries are to food and livelihoods, and of countries’ capacity to respond, including governance and development measures. 12
• Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mozambique have the highest estimated national vulnerability in the study. At subregional level, the study identifies western Africa and eastern Asia as the areas with the highest vulnerability. 12
• The index links vulnerability to the importance of small-scale fisheries for nutrition and livelihoods, alongside lower governance or response capacity. It is intended to highlight where potential risks warrant attention, rather than establish that conflict has happened. 123
• National scores cannot show whether small-scale and industrial vessels fish in the same places, at the same depths or for the same species. The index’s exposure indicators do not provide that level of detail. 12
• The study and accompanying reporting describe the index as a possible aid to policy, not as an intervention whose use has already reduced conflict or improved conservation outcomes. 123

Why this matters

A comparative risk measure could help identify countries where small-scale fisheries’ contribution to food and livelihoods coincides with limited capacity to respond to pressures from industrial fleets. But the scores need local testing before they can guide decisions about specific fisheries or places. 123

What happens next

The authors call for further assessment using local case studies, fisheries monitoring and incidents reported by fishers. Such evidence could test how well index scores correspond with conflict on the water and help clarify how rankings might change with more detailed information on fishing activity. 13

What we know

• The index is designed to compare vulnerability across 126 coastal countries using indicators related to fisheries activity, small-scale fisheries’ importance and response capacity. 12
• The study identifies Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mozambique as the three countries with the highest estimated vulnerability. 12
• The primary study reports the highest subregional vulnerability in western Africa and eastern Asia. 1

What we don't know

• It remains untested how closely national scores correspond with conflict incidents reported by fishers or recorded through local monitoring. 13
• The available index indicators do not establish whether fleets overlap in fishing grounds, target species or fishing depths. 12
• The study’s predictive accuracy has not yet been established, and further local case studies and monitoring are needed to assess it. 13

Read the reporting

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