Unveiling inequalities among small-scale Fishers

Abstract

Distributional inequalities within small-scale fisheries (SSF) pose significant challenges for ecosystems and communities, yet a research gap exists in understanding such inequalities. We investigate landing and income inequalities among small-scale vessel owners, focusing on Chile as a case study. We employ four key inequality measures: the Gini coefficient, skewness, coefficient of variation, and the concentration of landings and revenues in vessels>10 m. Our findings reveal pronounced disparities in both landings and revenues within the small-scale fishing sector, which persist or slightly increase after accounting for fishing effort. At the national level, Gini coefficients for landings and revenues reached 0.84 and 0.78 (with 1 indicating perfect inequality). Skewness analysis confirms these results. Additionally, the concentration of landings and revenues from vessels above 10 m underscores the unequal concentration patterns of different vessel owners. While our study sheds light on distributional inequality dynamics within Chile's SSF, it also raises questions about potential similarities in SSF worldwide. Although data limitations may hinder further exploration, comparable inequality patterns might exist in other contexts. Furthermore, our results serve as a reminder that achieving sustainable development goals demands a comprehensive understanding of distributional inequalities and the formulation of targeted policies to rectify them within SSF across the globe.