The Featuring of Small-Scale Fishers in SDG 14: Life below but Also above Water

This chapter deals with SDG 14 (‘life below water’) and the curious inclusion of a clause (Article 14B) supporting the global population of small-scale fishworkers and their marine livelihoods. It enquires as to the background of this particular clause, which it traces back to the drawn-out international negotiation process that was marked by the ratification of FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995) and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (2014). Social movements, NGOs and the academic community are demonstrated to have played an important role in both achievements. While Article 14B provides an additional impulse to the international small-scale fisheries movement, the challenges that small-scale fishworkers face are still substantial. As Article 14B concedes, the struggle focuses on maintaining access to resources and markets, but also responding to the critiques of the conservation movement.