November 21, 2021
Today, 21 November, is International Fisheries Day. We take this opportunity to make public the statement of the IPC. “We, in the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), represent small-scale fisher people including Indigenous Peoples from the four global movements, the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF), the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP), the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) and La Via Campesina (LVC). Our constituencies span across the entire world and both from coastal and inland fishing communities. Today we recall that World Fisheries Day (WFD) carries our rich history and was first celebrated when we formed the global fisher movements (WFFP/WFF) in Delhi in 1997. Back then, we denounced industrial fishing and aquaculture because both sectors bring environmental destruction and expropriation of fishing communities, and we decided that this day of our birth, World Fisheries Day, would be a day to celebrate small-scale capture fisheries internationally. It is a day filled with the determination and endeavors of fisher people to be proud contributors to the world’s food systems and a humane society at large…..” Read the statement here