Lack of financial resources
Many NFAs struggle to generate funding to help support their advocacy efforts. As they represent individuals and communities that lack resources themselves, finding enough money to cover salaries, campaigns, meetings and running costs can be a significant impediment.
One strategy that can be implemented by NFAs is through the collection of dues from their members as a means of generating a steady income. Huge numbers of fishers can be represented by such organisations - for example the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) is thought to have a membership of 100,000 fishers - and as such even a relatively small monthly or annual contribution by their constituents could raise significant amounts of funding. However this approach would require a relatively sophisticated bookkeeping and administrative processes, and may alienate fishers who are unwilling or unable to financially contribute to NFAs.
Another potential avenue for funding opportunities is through partnership with, or sub-grants from NGOs and/or international development agencies such as the European Union (EU), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD), all of whom have invested extensively in fisheries improvement projects globally. NFAs are host to a depth and breadth of information and knowledge of fisheries, fishing practices and other institutions, as well as having unparalleled access to fishing communities, making them a valuable asset - particularly to organisations or institutions not familiar with the national context.
Lack of formalised processes and structures
One common hurdle for NFAs is a lack of clearly defined and well-executed processes and structures, which in turn results in minimised impact. Effective strategic planning leads to improved resource allocation, better decision-making, and adaptability to changes in the fishing industry. Strategic planning is a structured process that plays a crucial role in helping national fishing groups define their direction and achieve their goals related to sustainable fisheries management, economic growth, and community well-being.
Effective strategic planning is fundamental to the success of NFAs. It is therefore important that NFAs are equipped with the skills to design and implement a strategic plan in alignment with their goals and to maximise their efforts toward sustainable fisheries management and community well-being. NFAs can implement strategic planning through:
Evaluating the organisation's current state, including financial analysis, conducting a community needs assessment, and project review.
Conducting a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), which helps identify internal strengths and weaknesses, along with external opportunities and threats.
Defining Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals.
Including a diverse range of stakeholders in the planning process, including fishers, local communities, government agencies, and conservation organisations.
Defining a clear vision and mission statement to guide planning and ensure activities are in line with the NFAs overarching goals.
Implementing regular evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the strategic plan.
These defined actions help NFAs clarify the organisation's direction and future goals, as well as its core purpose and values. See the additional resource section for training material on strategic planning.
Insufficient participation of marginalised groups
Although there has been significantly more attention to the concept of participatory governance of natural resources, marginalised groups can still find themselves excluded entirely from decision-making structures. NFAs should ensure that their advocacy work takes into consideration the diversity of viewpoints and needs that may exist within their constituencies, taking action to create truly participatory spaces in order to facilitate this.
While some NFAs will be made up of almost exclusive male or female members - reflecting the gendered nature of small-scale fisheries in some countries in which fishers are predominantly or exclusively male, and fisher processors female - it is important that advocacy campaigns consider the potential benefits or burdens that may arise for all members of the communities they represent.
To counter this, NFAs should work to actively engage and include marginalised groups. This can be achieved by:
Recognising the gender disparities in workload distribution and compensation, as well as enduring attitudes towards gender stereotyping within the fisheries sector.
Advocating for gender equality and women's empowerment in fisheries governance, thereby promoting more equitable and sustainable fishing practices within the NFA.
Conducting in-depth stakeholder analyses to identify all parties involved in the fisheries value chain, before working to actively engage these stakeholders. This process should include considering the needs, challenges and opportunities for each group of stakeholders and working respectfully to encourage their active participation in NFAs activities.
Enhance engagement with literature and stakeholders who can advise on best-practices with regards to effective participatory governance of natural resources - for example the IUCN’s work on Gender and Natural Resource Governance or training materials prepared by WorldFish and partners on ‘Assessing inclusion in community-based natural resource management’.
Recognising where migrant fishers make up a significant stakeholder group, and encouraging them to actively participate in NFA activities. In some cases, migrant fishers only work seasonally and hence they may be excluded from discussions or decisions that will impact their livelihoods if they are not always present. Migrant fishers may be marginalised, and risk some of their rights not being upheld and as such NFAs should seek to include this group in their activities.
By prioritising diverse stakeholder engagement, NFAs are better able to represent the varied groups that have an interest in sustainable fisheries management.
