Making an Invisible Resource Visible: Integrating Inland Fisheries into the Sustainable Development Goals

Inland fisheries make up more than 50% of all food fish in the world. Sustainable inland fisheries can support global economic development by providing food for billions and livelihood for millions of people worldwide. However, it can be difficult to quantitatively track and evaluate the services that inland fisheries provide to communities, which ultimately means that the contributions of this important sector to global development and sustainability are often undervalued.

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests inland fisheries have disproportionate importance for impoverished countries. However, the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), do not explicitly include inland fisheries. Overlooking the contribution of inland fisheries to poverty prevention and alleviation may undermine the international community’s capacity to successfully meet these development goals, in particular SDG1, which aims to end poverty, and SDG2, which aims to achieve food security and improve nutrition.

In order to achieve the SDGs, measurable targets and indicators have been outlined. The goal of this project is to examine the relationships between inland fisheries systems, services, and actions with all 169 SDG targets. By assessing these relationships, researchers will identify how achieving the SDGs would impact inland fisheries and how inland fisheries can contribute to achieving the SDGs. The results of this project can be used to inform strategies for integrating inland fisheries into sustainable development agendas, as well as recognize the role of this important sector in achieving other SDGs related to food security, climate, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable production.